Research Overview
The Research Department consists of resident staff, professors and students, as well as subcontractors and consultants. Their work covers a broad range of engineering and scientific research, which is sponsored by NASA, other government agencies and the aerospace industry. We collaborate with leading research institutions worldwide to accomplish mutual research objectives.
Through the University Research Program, faculty and students work with NASA researchers in areas across aerospace, mechanical, electrical and systems engineering, applied mathematics and more. We also conduct applied research for the aerospace industry and as a part of this collaborative effort, industry partners gain access to NASA resources, including personnel, facilities and intellectual properties.
- Adjoint-Based Multidisciplinary Design and Optimization
- Aerospace Acoustics
- Airspace Research: Formal Methods
- Atmospheric Science
- Boron Nitride Nanotubes (BNNT)
- Certification Methods for Composite Airframe Structures
- Computational Materials Science
- Human Factors Research and Support
- Improved Solver Technology for Computational Fluid Dynamics
- Integrated Structural Health Management (ISHM)
- Low Cost Large Area Microtextured Superhydrophobic Surfaces
- Planetary Science
- Small Satellite Systems Research
- Uncertainty Quantification & Management in Aerospace Vehicle Design
- Very Efficient Third-Order CFD Solver
Samuel P. Langley Professor Program
Distinguished faculty in residence serve as the core of the Institute’s academic research program and are often sought out for collaborative research, advice and direction. Professors also provide graduate students the opportunity to work alongside Langley researchers while pursuing their degree.
Commercial Programs
The collaboration of the aerospace industry and university teams of academic researchers strive to develop the next generation of commercial aircraft that will set a new standard in environmental friendliness and fuel efficiency.
Visitor Program
The Visitor Program facilitates research partnerships between the National Institute of Aerospace, NASA Langley Research Center and other institutions. Scientists and engineers collaborate with researchers, faculty and graduate students typically for a semester or summer duration.
Postdoctoral Program
The Postdoctoral Research Scholar Program gives recent doctoral recipients additional research training in preparation for an independent career.
Centers for Excellence
- Center for Aerospace Acoustics
- Center for Aerospace Engineering
- Center for Integrated Systems Health Management
- Center for Photonics, Sensors & Solar Energy
- Center for Planetary Atmospheric & Flight Sciences
- Center for Planetary Dynamics
- Center for Small Satellite Systems & Technology for Observation & Exploration
Research Centers and Consortiums
- Integrated Systems Health Monitoring Laboratory
- Nanomaterials Laboratory
- Photonics, Sensors and Solar Energy Laboratory
- Rapid Prototyping Laboratory
- Space Systems Analysis Computer Laboratory
- The Alexander Brown Center for Adaptive Aerospace Vehicle Technology, Morpheus Laboratory
- The Bruel & Kjaer Laboratory for Aerospace Acoustics, Vibration and Noise Control
- Wet Chemistry Laboratory