WVU researcher receives AIAA associate fellowship and federal appointment

Mechanical, Materials and Aerospace Engineering associate professor, Piyush Mehta. (WVU Photo/Matt Sunday)

Piyush Mehta, associate professor in the Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources at West Virginia University, has been named to the newly elected Class of 2025 Associate Fellows of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and appointed to the Space Weather Advisory Group — a Federal Advisory Committee for the White House Space Weather Operations, Research and Mitigation subcommittee. 

Story by Paige Nesbit, director of marketing and communications
Photos by WVU Photo/Matt Sunday

Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources

During his short time in the mechanical, materials and aerospace engineering department, Mehta has been pioneering cutting-edge research in space weather to improve modeling and forecasting of space weather to safeguard satellites in orbit and infrastructure on Earth as well as protecting satellites and other space assets from space debris.  

Since the beginning of his career as a faculty member at WVU in 2018, Mehta has received numerous accolades and awards. These honors include the 2022-23 Statler College Outstanding Researcher Junior Level Award, a Wayne and Kathy Richards Fellowship in 2021, the NSF CAREER award in 2021 and the NSF EPSCoR Research Fellowship in 2019.  

Mehta received his undergraduate degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Kansas in 2009 and completed his Ph.D. in aerospace engineering there in 2013. 

“The AIAA Associate Fellows personify the innovation that drives our industry forward,” said AIAA CEO Dan Dumbacher. “The members of the Class of 2025 Associate Fellows embody the ingenuity that is crucial for developing solutions to the complex questions raised across aeronautics, aerospace R&D and space.” 

AIAA is the premier aerospace organization in the U.S. Each year, only one for every 150 voting members is selected and approved. The selection process is highly competitive, and only approximately 17% of the AIAA membership are associate fellows.  

SWAG was established by Public Law 116-181, the Promoting Research and Observations of Space Weather to Improve the Forecasting of Tomorrow Act of 2020 to advise the SWORM on facilitating advances in the space weather enterprise of the Nation.  

As a member of this advisory group, Mehta’s will facilitate advancements in the space weather enterprise, coordinating research efforts and operations. The SWAG will advise the Space Weather Interagency Working Group informing their interests and work to help improve the ability of the United States to prepare for, mitigate, respond to and recover from space weather phenomena. 

“I am extremely grateful for the recognition of my contributions to the space weather and Space Situational Awareness/Space Domain Awareness/Space Traffic Management communities which provides added energy for future contributions,” Mehta said. 

Mehta will be recognized during the 2025 AIAA Associate Fellow Ceremony and Reception on January 10, 2025 in Orlando, Florida and his appointment to SWAG is effective October 1. 

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