Symposium 6 Invited Speaker
Dr. Mostafa Hassanalian
Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering
New Mexico Tech
Presentation Title: Unlocking Nature's Secrets: Bioinspired Aerodynamics and Autonomous Drone Systems
Abstract: Over millions of years, nature has evolved highly efficient structures, materials, and mechanisms that enable remarkable capabilities in flight, sensing, navigation, and energy management. Engineers increasingly draw inspiration from these biological systems to develop innovative solutions for modern aerospace challenges. The field of bioinspired engineering and biomimicry seeks to translate nature's optimized designs into advanced technologies that enhance aerodynamic efficiency, autonomy, and adaptability in aerial systems. This talk presents Dr. Hassanalian’s research on bioinspired aerodynamics and autonomous drone systems, highlighting how natural flight mechanisms observed in birds, insects, and seeds can inform the design of next-generation aerial platforms. His work integrates aerodynamic modeling, experimental validation, and system-level design to improve the performance and efficiency of drones operating in complex environments. Applications of this research include environmental monitoring, infrastructure inspection, underground exploration, wildlife observation, and planetary exploration. By combining principles from biology, aerospace engineering, and robotics, this work aims to advance the development of intelligent aerial systems capable of operating autonomously and efficiently in diverse real-world missions.
Biography: Dr. Mostafa Hassanalian is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at New Mexico Tech and a former Dean's Research Scholar. He earned his Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from New Mexico State University in 2018 and 2016, respectively. His research focuses on experimental aerodynamics, bioinspired engineering, autonomous aerial systems, and drone technology, integrating physics-based modeling, dynamics and control, and experimental testing to develop next-generation aerospace systems. Over the past seven years, Dr. Hassanalian has led an externally funded research program with more than $8 million in support from agencies and organizations including the National Science Foundation (NSF), NASA, NIOSH-CDC, the Alpha Foundation, and industry partners. His scholarly work includes more than 65 peer-reviewed journal articles and over 190 refereed conference papers, many presented at AIAA conferences, contributing significantly to research in drones, bioinspired aerodynamics, and autonomous exploration systems. Dr. Hassanalian has been continuously recognized since 2021 among the world's Top 2% most-cited scientists for both annual and career-long citation impact according to the Stanford University–Elsevier ranking. His contributions to research and academic service have been recognized with several honors, including the New Mexico Tech Faculty Distinguished Service Award (2024), Faculty Distinguished Research Award (2025), and the AIAA Faculty Advisor Award (2026). His research group develops bioinspired drones and autonomous aerial systems for applications such as environmental monitoring, underground exploration, wildlife observation, and planetary exploration. Several of his projects—particularly the taxidermy bird drone—have received international media attention through outlets including The New York Times, National Geographic, Reuters, and EuroNews. Dr. Hassanalian currently advises 22 graduate students (8 Ph.D. and 14 M.S.) and has graduated 4 Ph.D. and 20 M.S. students to date, in addition to mentoring over 100 undergraduate researchers. He is also actively involved in STEM outreach, leading K–12 drone programs and serving on the board of the Friends of Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge.