MSU aerospace engineering faculty member named AIAA Associate Fellow

MSU aerospace engineering faculty member named AIAA Associate Fellow

Contact: Camille Carskadon

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Craig Merrett, a Mississippi State Department of Aerospace Engineering faculty member, has been recognized by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics as an AIAA Associate Fellow.

Craig Merrett portrait.
Craig Merrett (Photo by Kristen Polk)

The distinction is a prestigious honor recognizing Merrett’s significant contributions and achievements within the aerospace engineering field. He is one of four AIAA Associate Fellows, highlighting MSU’s aerospace engineering program’s exceptional faculty and their impact on the industry.

“Receiving this recognition from my peers in the AIAA is a tremendous honor,” Merrett said. “It is a validation of the work my students and I have done to advance aerospace engineering and inspire the next generation of innovators.”

The award recognizes individuals “who have accomplished or been in charge of important engineering or scientific work, done original work of outstanding merit or otherwise made outstanding contributions to the arts, sciences or technology of aeronautics or astronautics.” To be selected, an individual must be an AIAA senior member in good standing, with at least 12 years of professional experience, and be recommended by three AIAA members.

As an AIAA Associate Fellow, Merrett, who also holds the department’s Richard H. Johnson Chair, will continue to play a vital role in the organization, serving on technical committees, reviewing papers and sharing his expertise in viscoelasticity at its renowned conferences. Department Head Rani Sullivan said Merrett’s dedication to professional service and mentorship has been instrumental in shaping the careers of countless aerospace engineers.

“Dr. Merrett’s noteworthy accomplishments in aerospace engineering education, aerospace-related research and academic service are being fittingly honored through this prestigious distinction,” Sullivan said.

The AIAA is the world’s largest aerospace technical society. With nearly 30,000 individual members from 91 countries and 100 corporate members, it brings together industry, academia and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space and defense. For more information, visit www.aiaa.org.

The MSU Department of Aerospace Engineering is online at www.ae.msstate.edu and on Facebook at @MsuAerospaceEngineering.

The Bagley College of Engineering is online at www.bagley.msstate.edu and on FacebookTwitter, Instagram and YouTube at @msuengineering.

Mississippi State University is taking care of what matters. Learn more at www.msstate.edu.