Dr. Lesley A. Weitz ’05, ’09, a member of the Distinguished Aerospace Engineering Alumni Academy of Texas A&M University, has been named a fellow by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA).
Nominees for the fellow distinction are AIAA Associate Fellows. Those elected as fellows are individuals AIAA recognizes for their notable and valuable contributions to the arts, sciences, or technology of aeronautics and astronautics. It is among AIAA’s highest distinctions conferred to some of the most respected professionals in the aerospace community.
“So many of the leaders in the aerospace community that I look up to are AIAA Fellows,” said Weitz. “Becoming an AIAA Fellow is an acknowledgment of my impact and contributions to the aerospace community, which has come with a lot of hard work and focus. I’m honored to count myself amongst the ranks of AIAA Fellows.”
Weitz received her bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University at Buffalo in 2002 and her master’s and Ph.D. in aerospace engineering from Texas A&M in 2005 and 2009, respectively. She received several graduate fellowships and awards, including the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, the NASA Graduate Student Research Fellowship, and the AIAA Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) Graduate Award.
“My aerospace engineering education from Texas A&M impacts me daily,” she said. “I learned how to think critically, how to continuously learn, how to break complex problems down into their constituent parts, but perhaps most importantly, I learned about leadership from my graduate advisor, Dr. Hurtado, and other faculty like Drs. Junkins, Valasek, Lagoudas and Reed.”
I can use my voice to advocate for people that have not traditionally been a part of the aerospace community.
Weitz is now 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. She is a technical lead overseeing research funding to support the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) mission. Her contributions to this effort include developing and analyzing 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.
“We need more aerospace engineers,” said Weitz. “Being an AIAA Fellow lends further credibility to my voice in the community. This is important as the community continues to broaden its reach to include more of society in the profession. I can use my voice to advocate for people that have not traditionally been a part of the aerospace community.”
Weitz has been a long-time volunteer in AIAA’s technical community. She was a member of the AIAA GNC Technical Committee from 2006 to 2018, serving as the committee chair 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 is serving as the chief of AIAA’s Technical Activities Division.
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.” Weitz has also been recognized by the Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics, the U.S. avionics standards body, for her significant contributions and leadership towards developing Interval Management avionics standards.
She will join the Class of 2024 AIAA Fellows at an induction ceremony in Washington, D.C., on May 14.