Two graduate students from the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Texas A&M University have been recognized with best paper awards at the Vertical Flight Society’s prestigious 2025 Annual Forum, the world’s leading event for vertical flight technology.
Reuben-Wayne Stewart received the Best Paper Award in the Advanced Vertical Flight session for his work, “Neural Network Assisted Flight Dynamics Modeling of a Tailsitter UAS with Experimental Validation.” This marks Stewart’s second consecutive win in the category. His research integrates deep neural networks with flight dynamics modeling to enhance predictive capabilities for novel unmanned aerial system (UAS) designs, bridging the gap between simulation and real-world performance.
Jack Dooher was honored with the Best Paper Award in the Aircraft Design session for his paper, “A High Performance Tailsitter Design for Future Air-Launch Capability.” Also a repeat winner, Dooher’s research centers on developing compact aerial platforms capable of ballistic deployment from land, sea or air — expanding the operational versatility of UAS technologies.
Both students conduct their research under Dr. Moble Benedict, professor of aerospace engineering and director of the Advanced Vertical Flight Laboratory.
Their achievements underscore Texas A&M’s leadership in cutting-edge aerospace innovation and its commitment to advancing the future of unmanned flight.