The 1st International Online Conference on Aerospace
The IOCAE 2026: Conference Closed and Winner Announcement
We sincerely thank all participants, speakers, session chairs, and contributors for their valuable involvement and for making this edition a great success.
The Best Oral Presentation Awards and Best Poster Awards of IOCAE 2026 have been evaluated.
Please refer to the Award Winner Announcement.
You can directly download your electronic Certificate of Attendance HERE.
Click HERE for the Abstract Book.
Click HERE for the Poster Gallery.
Click HERE for Publication Opportunities.
We look forward to welcoming you to the next edition of IOCAE!
the chair
It is my pleasure to invite you to the 1st International Online Conference on Aerospace (IOCAE 2026), which will be held virtually on 16–17 April 2026. This inaugural event aims to bring together leading experts, researchers, and industry professionals to share the latest advances in aerospace science and technology.
IOCAE 2026 provides an interactive and inclusive platform for presenting innovative research, fostering interdisciplinary dialogue, and exploring emerging applications across the aerospace sector. Organised under the auspices of MDPI’s journal Aerospace, the conference will offer contributors the opportunity to publish extended versions of their work in a dedicated Special Issue. The themes of the conference include the following:
S1: Next-Gen Aircraft Design & Optimization
-Aircraft Design and Optimization – Covering efficiency, lightweight materials, and sustainability.
-Aerostructures: Materials & Structures – Focusing on composites, smart materials, and additive manufacturing.
-Aerodynamics and Flight Mechanics – With trends like urban air mobility (UAM), hypersonics, and drag reduction.
S2: Sustainable Propulsion & Energy Systems
-Fuels & Energy Storage – SAFs, hydrogen propulsion, and hybrid-electric storage.
-Propulsion Technologies – Gas turbines, electric propulsion, and next-gen space propulsion.
S3: Space Systems & Exploration
-Spacecraft Design and Systems Engineering – Modularity, reusability, and miniaturization (CubeSats, SmallSats).
-Space Exploration & Mission Design – Human and robotic missions, ISRU, and long-duration sustainability.
-Space Environment and Space Debris Mitigation – Active debris removal and sustainable satellite design.
S4: Digitalization, Autonomy & Airspace Management
-Avionics and Autonomous Systems – AI-driven flight control, drone swarms, and autonomy in space.
-Air Traffic Management & Airports – AI-based ATC, UAM airspace integration, and sustainable airport infrastructure.
By hosting this conference online, we aim to break down geographical barriers and create a dynamic, global space for collaboration, knowledge exchange, and community building. We are particularly committed to encouraging the active involvement of early career researchers and young scientists as they engage with the forefront of aerospace innovation.
I warmly welcome your participation in this exciting event as we work together to shape the future of aerospace research and development.
Best regards,
Prof. Dr. Konstantinos Kontis
School of Engineering, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland, UK
Important Dates
- Abstract submission deadlineFeb 02, 2026
- Abstract acceptance notificationMar 02, 2026
- Registration end dateApr 12, 2026
Meet Our Speakers
Prof. Karen A. Thole
Robert J. Vlasic Dean of Engineering, University of Michigan, USA;
Karen A. Thole is the Robert J. Vlasic Dean of Engineering at the University of Michigan. An expert in heat transfer and cooling of gas turbine airfoils, Thole’s detailed experimental and analytical work has influenced the way that gas turbines are designed - both for propulsion and power generation.
Before joining Michigan, she spent 18 years at Pennsylvania State University, where she served as a Distinguished Professor and head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering. There, she founded and served as director of the Steady Thermal Aero Research Turbine Lab, one of the world’s most sophisticated research turbine facilities. In 2009, she co-founded the Engineering Ambassador Program and the national Engineering Ambassador Network, now spanning 40 programs across the U.S. and Puerto Rico, providing STEM outreach and professional development for students.
Prof. Thole has been a member of several National Academy of Engineering studies, of NASA advisory committees, and of the U. S. Department of Air Force’s Scientific Advisory Board. She earned her Ph.D. in mechanical engineering in 1992 from the University of Texas, Austin.
She is an advocate for mentorship of students and faculty, and passionate about developing future leaders in engineering and STEM.
Dr. Arif Karabeyoğlu
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Koc University, Turkey;
Prof. Dr. Arif Karabeyoğlu is currently a faculty member at Koc University in Istanbul, Turkiye, and also serves as a board member for the Turkish Space Agency. He has co-founded and managed several rocket propulsion and green energy companies including Space Propulsion Group Inc. (SPG) in California/USA and DeltaV Space in Istanbul/Türkiye. He also served as the CTO for Fergani space between 2022-2024, a company developing navigation constellations and orbital transfer vehicles (OTV). The hybrid rocket-based OTV has been successfully operated in space for an orbit raising mission. His research focuses on rocket propulsion and green energy systems, covering both theoretical studies and practical propulsion/combustion testing. In addition, Dr. Karabeyoglu has years of experience as an instructor at Stanford University, Koc University and other organizations over a wide range of subjects including Thermodynamics, Space Systems Engineering, Rocket Propulsion and Experimental Aeronautics and Astronautics. He has also served as the Program Manager and Principal Investigator for many programs that focused on the development and testing of hybrid rockets, green in-space propulsion systems and green fuels for terrestrial applications. He has authored numerous journal articles, conference papers, and obtained patents in rocket propulsion and green energy. He was the chairman of the AIAA's Hybrid Technical Committee during 2009-2011 and served on the Expert Advisory Board that oversaw the development of the SpaceShipTwo propulsion system developed for Virgin Galactic. He is currently serving as the co-chair for IAC 2026, one of the world’s largest space conferences. Dr. Karabeyoglu is an associate fellow of AIAA.
Prof. Dr. Vaios Lappas
Department of Aerospace Science & Technology, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece; School of Aerospace, Transport and Manufacturing, Cranfield University, UK;
Professor V. Lappas graduated with a B. Eng in Aerospace Engineering at Ryerson University (Toronto, Canada), his MSc in Space Technology at NASA (Goddard Space Flight Centre) through the International Space University (France) and his PhD in Space Vehicle Control at the University of Surrey (UK). He has led various significant research grants on satellite technology, space missions, space debris, funded by the United States Air Force, NASA, Airbus, European Space Agency, European Commission. He has managed substantial research grants including the EU funded QB50, RemoveDEBRIS space missions and the European Defence Agency EuroSWARM project which is one of Europe’s first Defence R&D pilot projects. He is currently Professor of Aerospace Systems and Department Head at the Department of Aerospace Science & Technology of the University of Athens (Greece) and a Consulting Professor in Aerospace Systems at Cranfield University (UK). His current research includes development of unmanned vehicles for defence applications, satellite/space systems, launch vehicle design, small satellites funded by the EU, United States Air Force and European Space Agency. He also teaches Flight Controls, Dynamics and Satellite Communications at Cranfield University and supervises MSc student projects and PhD researchers for the MSc in Astronautics/Space and Autonomous systems (AVDC). He currently is the PI of the ERMIS nanosatellite constellation, a constellation of 3 small cubesats to be launched in January 2026 focused on hyperspectral imaging, laser optical links and IoT communications funded by the Greek Ministry of Digital Governance and the European Space Agency. He is a world authority in small satellites, UAVs, autonomous systems and is in “Stanford’s World’s Top 2% Scientists List” for the subject of Aerospace.
Prof. Dr. Hyo-Sang Shin
Cho Chun Shik Postgraduate School of Mobility, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Republic of Korea;
Professor Hyo-Sang Shin, received an MSc on flight dynamics, guidance and control in Aerospace Engineering from KAIST and gained a PhD on cooperative missile guidance from Cranfield University. He is a Lecturer on Guidance, Control and Navigation Systems in Autonomous and Intelligent Systems Group at Cranfield University since 2010. He participated in the 3rd Korea Robot Aircraft Competition with Team Highest winning the Silver (2004) and Most Popular Team award (2004).
Professor Hyo-Sang Shin is extensively involved in teaching and research. He has published book chapter and journal and conference papers. He has been invited to lecture at other universities, research institutes and to industry. His current research interests include cooperative guidance and control for multiple vehicles, coordinated heath monitoring and management, and information-driven sensing.
Prof. Dr. George Z.H Zhu
Department of Mechanical Engineering, York University, Toronto, Canada;
Dr. George Zhu is a Professor and Tier 1 York Research Chair in Space Robotics and AI in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at York University in Toronto, Canada. He served as the inaugural Academic Director of Research Commons (2019-2022) in the Office of Vice-President of Research and Innovation. His research includes the spacecraft dynamics and control, tethered space systems, autonomous space robotics, computational control methodologies, and in-space additive manufacturing. Currently, he is an elected Academician of the International Academy of Astronautics; College Member of the Royal Society of Canada; Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Canada; Fellow of the Engineering Institute of Canada, Canadian Society of Mechanical Engineering, and Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers; and Associate fellow of American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Dr. Zhu is the Editor-in-Chief of Acta Astronautica and the receipt of 2024 Solid Mechanics Medal and 2021 Robert W. Angus Medal of the Canadian Society for Mechanical Engineering, the 2024 Gold Medal and 2019 Engineering R&D Medal of Ontario Professional Engineers Awards, Canada and the 2021 York University President’s Research Excellence Award.
- S1. Next-Gen Aircraft Design & Optimization
- S2. Sustainable Propulsion & Energy Systems
- S3. Space Systems & Exploration
- S4. Digitalization, Autonomy & Airspace Management
On behalf of the chair of IOCAE 2026, we are pleased to announce the winners of the Best Oral Presentation Awards and Best Poster Awards. Congratulations! We will be contacting the winners on the next steps.
The Best Oral Presentation Awards have been awarded to:
|
ID |
Title |
Authors |
| sciforum-163046 | Electro-Impulse De-Icing of the Leading Edge of a Slat |
Martin Bartelt, Leon Maxwell Thomas, Tim Luplow, Noah Breuer, Sebastian Heimbs |
| sciforum-168350 | Technological Advancements of Hybrid Rocket Engines for Sustainable and Competitive In-Space Propulsion Applications | Ryan Thibaudeau, Stephen Whitmore, Jared Coen, Josh Sorenson, Logan Mecham, Ava Wilkey |
| sciforum-163830 | Interpretable Machine Learning for Nonlinear Control via Kolmogorov–Arnold Decomposition | Edmondo Minisci, Giulio Avanzini |
The Best Poster Awards have been awarded to:
|
ID |
Title |
Authors |
| sciforum-168706 | Robust AI-Assisted HPC Borescope Inspection: Evaluating Stage-Level Decisions and Viewpoint Generalisation | Yun Sang Tse |
| sciforum-169357 | Experimental Study of Cryogenic Fill-Level Sensors for Liquid Hydrogen Aircraft Applications | Adrian Winter |
| sciforum-169793 | Wind Tunnel Investigation of Spoiler Effectiveness on a low Aspect-Ratio Swept Wing with reflex Airfoils | Riccardo Andrew Oggioni, Carlo E. D. Riboldi, Filippo Coacci |