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Rakesh Kapania named editor-in-chief of AIAA Journal of Aircraft
He will assume the new role in January 2026.
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Malvika Choudhary - Fri, 19, Dec 2025
- 13:00 EST
- 12
Rakesh Kapania / Virginia Tech
Indian American aerospace engineering professor Rakesh Kapania was named editor-in-chief of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics’ (AIAA) Journal of Aircraft.
The Norris and Wendy Mitchell Professor of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering at Virginia Tech, will assume the new role in January 2026.
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Published by AIAA, the Journal of Aircraft focuses on advancing applied science and technology related to airborne flight, featuring original archival research on aircraft design, operations, and the application of aircraft technologies across disciplines.
Kapania brings decades of experience in aerospace research and academic publishing to the role. He has authored more than 230 archival journal articles and over 380 conference papers, and has supervised 59 doctoral students, 76 master’s students, and 20 postdoctoral researchers, many of whom now work in academia, industry, and government.
His research spans computational structural mechanics, smart structures, probabilistic methods, machine learning, unitized structures, computational aeroelasticity, and multidisciplinary design analysis and optimization. He joined Virginia Tech in 1985, the same year he completed his doctoral studies.
“Rakesh Kapania’s appointment reflects his outstanding contributions to the field and the high esteem in which he is held by the aerospace research community,” said Ella M. Atkins, Fred D. Durham chair in engineering and head of the Kevin T. Crofton Department of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering.
“Rakesh has long been very active and deeply interested in all aspects of scholarly publications,” said Joseph A. Schetz, F. Durham Professor Emeritus at Virginia Tech, who has served AIAA for more than five decades. “He has extensive experience as an author, reviewer, journal associate editor, and advisory board member for AIAA and other organizations.”
Kapania has previously served twice as an associate editor for the Journal of Aircraft and has been a member of the AIAA Education Book Series Editorial Board. He is a fellow of both AIAA and the Royal Aeronautical Society and is a recipient of the AIAA/ISSMO Award for Multidisciplinary Design and Optimization.
“Few journals have been as instrumental in my professional growth as the Journal of Aircraft,” Kapania said. “Serving as the editor-in-chief will be a way to pay back to the countless readers, the associate editors, and the reviewers of the journal, who helped me to grow in my career as a university professor.”
Kapania earned his doctorate in aeronautics and astronautics from Purdue University. He holds a master’s degree in aeronautical engineering from the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, and a bachelor’s degree in aeronautical engineering from Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh .
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