Darshan Sarojini

Darshan Sarojini is an Assistant Professor in the Aerospace and Ocean Engineering Department at Virginia Tech (College of Engineering). His research focuses on Multidisciplinary Design, Analysis, and Optimization (MDAO), Certification-Driven Aircraft Design, and Systems Engineering, with applications in Urban Air Mobility (UAM) and electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) systems. He leads the Intelligent Design Optimization (IDOpt) Lab, which develops advanced methods for complex engineering systems design.

Education:

• Ph.D. & M.S. in Aerospace Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology
• M.S. in Computational Science and Engineering, Georgia Tech
• B.E. in Mechanical Engineering, B.M.S. College of Engineering, India

Research expertise includes integrating Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) with MDAO, high-performance computing (HPC) workflows, and structural optimization under dynamic loads. He has served as Technical Discipline Chair for the AIAA Modeling and Simulation Technologies committee and contributed to NASA ULI projects.

Recent work emphasizes large-scale MDO of eVTOL concepts, certification-constrained design, and computational frameworks for aircraft systems. He has mentored students from the ENLACE program and collaborated with industry partners like Archer Aviation and Aurora Flight Sciences.

Honors include Best Application Paper Awards at IFToMM 2015 and the 2015 National Conference on Machines and Mechanisms. His lab actively engages in student competitions (e.g., IndySCC) and promotes broader participation in HPC through workshops.