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

Bio: Dr. Mostafa Hassanalian is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at New Mexico Tech. He earned his Ph.D. and Master of Science degrees in Mechanical Engineering from New Mexico State University in July 2018 and December 2016, respectively. Dr. Hassanalian’s main research interests lie in autonomous systems, bioinspiration and biomimetics, and drone technology. He has served as Principal Investigator (PI) and Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI) on projects totaling over $9 million in funding from agencies and organizations such as the National Science Foundation (NSF), NASA, NIOSH-CDC, the Alpha Foundation, Sceye Inc., etc. He has authored over 260 peer-reviewed journal and conference publications, including more than 150 papers presented at AIAA conferences, demonstrating his leading role in the aerospace and drone research community. Since 2021, he has been consistently recognized among the Top 2% most-cited scientists worldwide, both for single-year and career-long impact, as published by Stanford University and Elsevier. In recognition of his outstanding contributions to research and service, Dr. Hassanalian received the Distinguished Service Award at New Mexico Tech in 2024 and the Distinguished Research Award in 2025. Earlier, in October 2021, he was also honored with the United Nations-USA SDG Advocate Award from the UNA Project Rocky Mountain Region. Segments of his research—particularly his innovative Taxidermy Bird Drone project—have achieved global media attention, reaching an estimated audience of over 6 billion people. His work has been featured in major outlets such as The New York Times, National Geographic, The Washington Post, Reuters, EuroNews, and the New York Post, among others. Dr. Hassanalian is currently advising 20 graduate students, including 9 Ph.D. and 11 M.S. students, and has successfully graduated 3 Ph.D. and 22 M.S. students to date. Beyond his research, Dr. Hassanalian actively contributes to education and community engagement. He serves as a board member of Friends of Bosque del Apache, and as faculty advisor for several New Mexico Tech student organizations, including the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), Society of Allied Weight Engineers (SAWE), VEX Robotics, NASA MINDS, and NASA Lunabotics teams. He also leads the K–12 Drone Program at New Mexico Tech, fostering STEM outreach and workforce development across New Mexico.

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.