Autonomous Flight and Aquatic Systems Laboratory

Dr. Mostafa Hassanalian

Associate Professor

Department of Mechanical Engineering 

New Mexico Tech

Weir Hall, Room 208

Socorro, NM, USA, 87801-4796

Email: Mostafa.hassanalian@nmt.edu

Tel: 575-835-6903

Academic Social Networking Websites: Researchgate, Google Scholar, LinkedIn

Professional Experience:

• April 2022-Present: Associate Professor

• July 2023-July 2025: Dean’s Research Scholar

• August 2018-April 2022: Assistant Professor

• Department of Mechanical Engineering, New Mexico Tech, Socorro, NM, USA

• May 2023-Present: Board Member of Friends of Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge

Education:

• Ph.D, Mechanical Engineering, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, USA, 2018

• M.S., Mechanical Engineering, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, USA, 2016

• M.S., Mechanical Engineering, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan, Iran, 2013

• B.S., Mechanical Engineering, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan, Iran, 2011 

Research Interests

• Biomimetics, and Bio-Inspired Ground, Aerial, and Aquatic Robots

• Design, Optimization, and Performance Enhancement of Aerial Vehicles

• Drones (UAV/MAV/NAV/PAV): Fixed-Wings, Flapping-Wings, Tilt-Rotor/Wing Drones, Morphing Drones, Space and Marine Drones

• New Concepts for Planetary and Space Exploration; Space Drones, Micro-rovers

• Aerodynamics, Hydrodynamics, Aeroelasticity, Fluid-Structure Interaction

• Renewable Energies: Hydro-turbine, Wind Turbine, Solar Energy

Selected Awards & Honors

• Recipient of the 2025 AIAA National Faculty Advisor Award, 

• 2025 Faculty Distinguished Research Award, New Mexico Tech, August 2025

• Mentor of the Year 2024, New Mexico AMP Student Research Conference, October 2024.

• 2024 Faculty Distinguished Service Award, New Mexico Tech, August 2024.

• Dean’s Research Scholar, New Mexico Tech, July 2023–July 2025.

• Top 2% of cited scientists worldwide, October 2021–present (annual and career-long).

• First place, “Overall Design, Build, and Demonstration – Senior Level,” NASA MINDS, May 2025.

• First place, “Overall Design, Build, and Demonstration – Underclassmen,” NASA MINDS, May 2025.

• Third place, “Technical Poster Award Category,” NASA MINDS, May 2025.

• First place, “Technical Poster Award Category,” NASA MINDS, May 2024.

• United Nations–USA SDG Advocate Award, UNA Project Rocky Mountain Region, October 2021.

• First place, “Systems Engineering Paper,” NASA MINDS, May 2021.

• Second place, “Overall Design, Build, and Demonstration,” NASA MINDS, May 2021.

• Outstanding Faculty Member, New Mexico Tech Student Government Association, 2020.

• Best Paper, 2020 AIAA SciTech Conference (Session: Advanced Flight Systems), Orlando, FL, 2020.

• Travel award, SciTech 2017 Conference, New Mexico State University Graduate School, 2017.

• Travel award, SciTech 2016 Conference, New Mexico State University Graduate School, 2016.

• Third place (judges) and first place (audience) at Las Cruces Startup Weekend with team “Kestrel” (“Application of Drones in Our Daily Life”), 2015.