Dr. Lesley A. Weitz is a senior principal aerospace engineer and chief scientist for transportation automation evolution at The MITRE Corporation in McLean, Virginia. Her current research is in advanced avionics for next-generation air traffic systems and the integration of airborne and air traffic control automation systems. Weitz is a technical lead overseeing research funding to support the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) mission. Her contributions to this effort include the development and analysis of advanced avionics algorithms, trajectory modeling and optimization, and modeling and simulation to evaluate system performance and benefits. FAA leadership has recognized her as an “internationally respected expert in those areas.”
Weitz is the author of over 50 peer-reviewed conference and journal papers and a book chapter and was awarded a patent by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office titled “Methods and Systems for Determining Required Interval Management Performance.” She has been recognized by Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics, the U.S. avionics standards body, for her significant contributions and leadership towards the development of Interval Management avionics standards.
Weitz received her bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in 2002 from the University at Buffalo and her master’s and doctorate degrees in aerospace engineering from Texas A&M University in 2005 and 2009, respectively. She was the recipient of several graduate fellowships and awards, including the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, the NASA Graduate Student Research Fellowship, and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) Graduate Award.
Weitz is a long-time volunteer in American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) technical activities. She was a member of the AIAA GNC Technical Committee from 2006 to 2018, serving as the chair of the committee from 2016 to 2018. She also served as a deputy director and then director of the AIAA Aerospace Sciences Group from 2018 to 2023. From 2023 to 2026, she will serve as the chief of AIAA’s technical activities division.