Ella Atkins

Ella Atkins is the Fred D. Durham Chair in Engineering and Department Head of the Kevin T. Crofton Department of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering at Virginia Tech. Previously, she held a Professorship at the University of Michigan’s Aerospace Engineering and Robotics Departments. She earned B.S. and M.S. degrees in Aeronautics & Astronautics from MIT and M.S./Ph.D. in Computer Science & Engineering from the University of Michigan.

Her research focuses on AI-driven autonomy and control for aerospace systems, emphasizing resilience and contingency management in manned/unmanned applications, including Advanced Air Mobility and Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS). She is Editor-in-Chief of the AIAA Journal of Aerospace Information Systems and has authored over 250 refereed publications. Her expertise spans aerospace information systems, robotics, and UAS traffic management.

• Education:
  • Ph.D., 1999, University of Michigan, Computer Science & Engineering
  • M.S., 1995, University of Michigan, Computer Science & Engineering
  • M.S., 1990, MIT, Aeronautics & Astronautics
  • B.S., 1988, MIT, Aeronautics & Astronautics

Her articles highlight advancements in UAS trajectory planning, energy efficiency, obstacle detection, and risk-aware autonomy. Awards include the AIAA Intelligent Systems Award (2022) and the University of Michigan Robotics Leadership Award (2020). She has led national initiatives like the NSF National Robotics Initiative (NRI) and contributed to NASA’s Aerial Mobility Blueprint. Her work integrates aerospace engineering with robotics, emphasizing safety and innovation in autonomous systems.

• Labs/Teams: Autonomous Aerospace Systems Lab (A2Sys)