Jafar Sadique Pilakkadan (far left) with Dr. Mishal Thapa (second from left) and Dr. Sameer Mulani (far right) at the AIAA SciTech Conference.
Jafar Sadique Pilakkadan, a second-year doctoral student in the Department of Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics, has received the 2026 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics SwRI Student Paper Award in non-deterministic approaches for his research presented at the AIAA SciTech Conference.
The conference is one of the largest aerospace research and development forums in the world, bringing together engineers, researchers and industry leaders to share advances across the aerospace sciences.
Pilakkadan earned the award for his paper, “A Stochastic Framework for Multiaxial Fatigue Analysis of Composite Structures Under Variable Amplitude Loading,” which was recognized as the highest-scoring submission in the non-deterministic approaches category.
“Receiving the AIAA SwRI Student Paper Award is a great honor,” Pilakkadan said. “Personally, it is both motivating and rewarding to see my research recognized by the broader aerospace engineering community. Professionally, this recognition reinforces the relevance of my work and encourages me to continue pursuing impactful research in the field.”
Pilakkadan conducts his research under the guidance of Dr. Sameer Mulani and Dr. Mishal Thapa.
“My work examines how composite materials used in aerospace structures degrade under repeated loading and extreme temperature conditions. By identifying the factors that accelerate fatigue damage, I aim to help extend the service life and improve the reliability of aerospace structures,” said Pilakkadan.
Pilakkadan said the recognition motivates him to continue his research, which aims to advance aerospace engineering and improve the reliability of aerospace structures.