Brian J. German

Brian J. German is the National Institute of Aerospace Langley Associate Professor in the Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. His research focuses on electric propulsion, urban air mobility (UAM), and the transformation of aviation through autonomy and distributed electric propulsion technologies.

• Education:
  • Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering, Georgia Tech (2007)
  • M.S. in Aerospace Engineering, Georgia Tech (2000)
  • B.S. in Aerospace Engineering, Georgia Tech (1999)

German specializes in aircraft design optimization, battery modeling for electric aircraft, and operations research for emerging aviation markets. His work spans technical domains like aerodynamics, propulsion systems, and airspace utilization, with applications in UAM, thin-haul regional aviation, and cargo delivery via eVTOL aircraft.

Recent research trends emphasize multidisciplinary optimization frameworks, propeller-wing interaction modeling, and economic feasibility studies for electric aircraft. He has led NASA-sponsored projects on vertiport placement, battery recharge economics, and blown wing performance analysis.

• Scientific Awards:
  • NSF CAREER Award (2012)
  • AIAA Associate Fellow (2017)
  • Fulbright Scholarship (2002)
  • Lockheed Martin Dean’s Excellence in Teaching Award (2012)
  • National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship (1999)

German has advised students on eVTOL cargo delivery, blown wing wind tunnel studies, and optimization of reconfigurable aircraft. He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses on aerospace performance, design methods, and optimization. His lab conducts wind tunnel and flight tests of subscale CTOL/STOL/VTOL aircraft to validate aerodynamic and performance models.