The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) has announced the results of the 2019 Election. Dr. Basil Hassan, MAE Alumnus and Senior Manager of Thermal, Fluid, and Aero Sciences Group at Sandia National Laboratories, has been elected as President.
AIAA is the world’s largest aerospace technical society. With nearly 30,000 individual members from 85 countries, and 95 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense.
Dr. Basil Hassan earned his bachelor’s (1988), master’s (1990) and doctoral (1993) degrees in aerospace engineering from North Carolina State University. Upon completing his doctoral degree, he joined Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico and has held a variety of management and staff positions, overseeing all aspects of engineering sciences research, development, and applications work. Currently, he holds the title of senior manager of the Thermal, Fluid, and Aero Sciences Group. He helped support NASA to determine the cause of the Space Shuttle Columbia accident in 2003 and was part of the team to support the shutdown of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Well after the explosion and spill in 2010. He is a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, including serving on its Board of Directors from 2008-17, where he held the roles of director and vice president. He has also served on review boards for the National Academies, NASA, and Air Force Office of Scientific Research. He currently serves on the NC State Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering’s Educational Advisory Board and has served on similar boards for New Mexico State University, Texas A&M University, University of Texas at Austin, and University of New Mexico. Dr. Hassan was named a 2017 NC State University Distinguished Engineering Alumnus.