UNIVERSITY LEADERSHIP INITIATIVE (ULI) - ROUND 4 AWARDS

ULI - Round 4 (Selected in 2020-21)

ULI Virtual Presentations to Congressional Staffers

On July 14, 2021 Principal Investigators of the six Round 4 ULI teams virtually briefed congressional staff on their research topics, team approach, and expectations for their ULI experience.

  • Scott Broemsen, NASA Office of Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs
  • Dr. John Cavolowsky, NASA Aeronautics, Director, Transformative Aeronautics Concepts Program
  • Prof. Ufuk Topcu, University of Texas, Austin
  • Prof. John Hwang, University of California, San Diego
  • Prof. Timothee Pourpoint, Purdue University
  • Prof. Marilyn Smith, Georgia Institute of Technology
  • Prof. Karen Thole, Pennsylvania State University
  • Prof. Noel Clemens, University of Texas, Austin

 

ULI-Round 4 Solicitation

NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD) announced a fourth opportunity for universities and their research partners to contribute toward NASA research goals. This opportunity is now closed.

 

ULI-Round 4 Awards

  1. Autonomous Aerial Cargo Operations at Scale
    • PI: Ufuk Topcu (University of Texas, Austin)
    • Co-Is: John-Paul Clarke (UT Austin), Karen Willcox (UT Austin), Karen Marais (Purdue University), Dengfeng Sun (Purdue University), Hamsa Balakrishnan (MIT), Willie Rockward (Morgan State University), Allison Chang (MIT Lincoln Laboratory), Matthew Edwards (MIT Lincoln Laboratory), Mel Davis (Cavan Solutions)
    • Topic: Safe, Efficient Growth in Global Operations
    • Period of Performance: 4 years, dates TBD
    • News Release: Unmanned Aerial Vehicles to Scale New Heights Thanks to NASA
    • Link: TBD
  2. Leading Advanced Turbine Research for Hybrid Electric Propulsion Systems
    • PI: Karen Thole (Pennsylvania State University)
    • Co-Is: Amrita Basak (Penn State), Reid Berdanier (Penn State), Brian German (Georgia Tech), Timothy Lieuwen (Georgia Tech), Michaela Amoo (Howard University), Ahmed Rubaai (Howard University), Sean Bradshaw (Pratt & Whitney), Irewole Orisamolu (Pratt & Whitney), Jeffrey Brogan (CVD MesoScribe).
    • Topic: Ultra-Efficient Subsonic Transports
    • Period of Performance: 4 years, dates TBD
    • News Release: NASA grant pilots course to hybrid-powered aircraft
    • Link: TBD
  3. Rapid Development of Urban Air Mobility Vehicle Concepts through Full-Configuration Multidisciplinary Design, Analysis, and Optimization
    • PI: John Hwang (University of California, San Diego)
    • Co-Is: David Kamensky (University of California, San Diego), H Alicia Kim (University of California, San Diego), Y Shirley Meng (University of California San Diego), Seongkyu Lee (University of California Davis), Chris C Mi (San Diego State University), Andrew Ning (Brigham Young University), Jeffrey T Chambers (Aurora Flight Sciences), Adam Grasch (Aurora Flight Sciences), Tyler Winter (M4 Engineering)
    • Topic: Safe, Quiet, and Affordable Vertical Lift Air Vehicles
    • Period of Performance: 3 years, dates TBD
    • News Release: Engineers Earn NASA Grant to Enable Flying Taxis
    • Link: TBD
  4. Emission & Absorption Spectroscopy Sensors for Hypersonic Flight Control
    (This team was selected by NASA in a joint collaboration under the ULI umbrella with Air Force Research Laboratory’s Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR))
    • PI: Timothee Pourpoint (Purdue University)
    • Co-Is: Terrence Meyer (Purdue University), Robert Lucht (Purdue University), Christopher Goldenstein (Purdue University), Chris Goyne (University of Virginia), Chloe Dedic (University of Virginia), Janett Walters-Williams (Hampton University), Qiang Le (Hampton University), David Garand (Sydor Technologies), Robert Bakos (Innoveering)
    • Topic: Novel In-Flight and Ground Measurement Techniques for Hypersonic Flight
    • Period of Performance: 3 years, dates TBD
    • News Release: Pourpoint leads Purdue's first NASA University Leadership Initiative
    • Link: TBD
  5. FAST: Full Airframe Sensing Technology for Hypersonic Aerodynamics Measurements
    (This team was selected by the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) in a joint collaboration under the ULI umbrella with NASA)
    • PI: Noel Clemens (University of Texas, Austin)
    • Co-Is: Jayant Sirohi, Professor (UT Austin), Karen Willcox (UT Austin), Carlos Cesnik (University of Michigan, Ann Arbor), Chris Combs (UT San Antonio), Amanda Masino (Huston-Tillotson University), Engin Topkara (Huston-Tillotson University), Patrick Blonigan (Sandia National Labs)
    • Topic: Novel In-Flight and Ground Measurement Techniques for Hypersonic Flight
    • Period of Performance: 3 years, dates TBD
    • News Release: New NASA-UT Hypersonics Project Aims to Transform Sensing for High-Speed Vehicles
    • Link: UT Austin's FAST ULI page
  6. Innovative Manufacturing, Operation, and Certification of Advanced Structures for Civil Vertical Lift Vehicles
    • PI: Marilyn Smith (Georgia Institute of Technology)
    • Co-Is: Brian German (Georgia Institute of Technology), Julian Rimoli (Georgia Institute of Technology), Elena Garcia (Georgia Institute of Technology), Alexia Payan (Georgia Institute of Technology), Abdel Bayoumi (University of South Carolina), Rhea Matthews (University of South Carolina), Paul Ziehl (University of South Carolina), Mannur Sundaresan (North Carolina A&T State University), Martin Kehayes (Middle Georgia State University), Rob Brackin (Triumph Aerospace Structures), Ian Derx (Triumph Aerospace Structures)
    • Topic: Advanced Materials Research
    • Period of Performance: 3 years, dates TBD
    • News Release: Advanced Materials to Improve Civilian Air Mobility
    • Link: TBD
logo on loader