From UAVs
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Vector algebra has carried alum Emmett Lalish (BS ‘05, MS ‘07, Ph.D. ‘09) from UAVs to 3D printing to an Oscar-winning blockbuster.
Chart his path
Why Aero & Astro?
We are the only full aerospace engineering program in the Pacific Northwest, and we sit among Boeing, Blue Origin, Stoke Space, Amazon Leo and PrimeAir, and dozens of smaller satellite and launch companies. That proximity puts internships, capstone sponsors, actionable research and employment close by. Here you can run tests in the Kirsten Wind Tunnel or work on fusion propulsion and composite structures alongside the faculty leading that research.
Explore Aero & Astro at UW
News
Google award for fusion energy research
Alan Kaptanoglu to lead optimization in a three-year project that will build neural network models to explore new stellarator designs and lower the cost of future fusion power plants.
A spiderweb's mechanical intelligence
Orb weavers sense prey through their webs. The same idea could give aerospace structures sensing with fewer parts.
Shake and release
One small motor can take a whole structure apart, which will be especially useful for disassembly in space.
Events
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Oct 19, 2026 @ 4:00 pm
A&A Monday Seminar with ISE's Ashis Banerjee
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Oct 26, 2026 @ 4:00 pm
A&A Monday Seminar with Carbon Robotics' Ryan Crompton
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Nov 2, 2026 @ 4:00 pm
Community Learning Webinar: Nathan Curtis / A&A Monday Seminar
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Nov 2, 2026 @ 4:00 pm
A&A Monday Seminar with NASA's Nathan Curtis (with WA Space Grant)
Controls research
Smooth sailing
Samet Uzun (Ph.D. ‘26) has developed new mathematical methods that allow autonomous systems to handle complex, time-sensitive reasoning quickly enough to be useful.
Check his math
Expanding the future in our labs
Our six research areas span everything that flies, from UAVs to spacecraft. Structures and fluids determine what a craft is made of and how efficiently it moves. Controls and integrated flight sciences govern how it flies. Plasma science and space systems look past the atmosphere. Much of it comes back down to earth, in applications to energy, manufacturing and transportation.
Explore our research
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Highflight is the department's alumni newsletter. Published annually, it features stories about students, faculty, research, alumni and more.