Alison Flatau

Alison Flatau is a Professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Maryland’s Clark School of Engineering. She joined the department in 2002 after eight years as an engineering mechanics instructor at Iowa State University and a tenure as Program Director for the Dynamic Systems Modeling, Sensing, and Control Program at the National Science Foundation (1998-2002). From 2009 to 2015, she served as Associate Dean of Research for the Clark School of Engineering. Her research focuses on smart materials and structures, particularly magnetostrictive actuator and sensor technologies across nano- to macro-scale applications, alongside expertise in renewable energy systems from her work at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (formerly the National Small Wind Systems Test Center).

• Undergraduate: Chemical Engineering, University of Connecticut
• M.S. and Ph.D.: Mechanical Engineering, University of Utah

Her accolades include the Clark School’s Faculty Service Award (2009), Women in Aerospace Educator of the Year (2010), SPIE’s Lifetime Achievement Award (2010), and the ASME Adaptive Structures and Materials Systems Prize (2013). She was recognized as a University of Maryland ADVANCE Professor (2011-2013) and a Dresden Fellow (2016), and holds fellowships with ASME (2006) and AIAA (2013). Her professional leadership extends to roles in IEEE Magnetics Society committees, including the Oral History Committee (2023-Present).