NAE Regional Meeting

May 19 – 21, 2026

Smarter Skies, More Resilient Systems: The Future of Commercial Aviation

The National Academy of Engineering Regional Event at Duke University will convene leading experts from industry, government, and academia to explore next-generation challenges and solutions in aviation, including:

Climate and weather-related considerations
Innovation and emerging technologies
Air traffic control and operational advancements

silhouetted air traffic control tower and airplane against a brilliant sunset

Your Duke University Hosts

Alec Gallimore

Provost, Duke University

Yiran Chen

John Cocke Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Duke University

Keynote Speakers

Ella Atkins

Fred D. Durham Chair in Engineering and Department Head of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering, Virginia Tech

image of professor wearing a suit inside building

John-Paul Clarke

Ernest Cockrell, Jr. Memorial Chair in Engineering, University of Texas at Austin

Michimasa Fujino

Former President and CEO, Honda Aircraft Company, NAE Member

Jim Graham

Senior Vice President of Delta Connection and CEO of Endeavor Air for Delta Air Lines

Alton “Al” D. Romig, Jr.

Executive Officer, National Academy of Engineering

Other Prominent Speakers

Kerry Buckley

Vice President, Center for Integrated Transportation, The MITRE Corporation

Earl H. Dowell

William Holland Hall Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Duke University, NAE Member

Alan Epstein

R.C. Maclaurin Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics Emeritus, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, NAE Member

Ronald Epstein

Managing Director, Aerospace & Defense, BofA Global Research, BofA Securities, Inc.

Farhan Gandhi

Hassan A. Hassan Distinguished Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, North Carolina State University

Michael Guterres

Portfolio Leader, The MITRE Corporation

R. John Hansman

T. Wilson (1953) Professor in Aeronautics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Pascal Joly

Senior Director, Engineer & Operations Safety, Security & Technical Affairs — AAW, Airbus

Gabriel G. Katul

George Pearsall Distinguished Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Duke University, NAE Member

Jerome Lynch

Vinik Dean of Engineering, Duke University

Mirsolav Pajic

Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Duke University

Jesse Quinlan

Technologist, Advanced Air Vehicles Program Office

William C. Sandifer

Executive Vice President and Chief Development Officer, RDU

Michael Todd

Professor and Department Chair of Structural Engineering, UC San Diego

Schedule

Tuesday, May 19

Time	Event	Location
12:30-4:30 pm	Campus Tours Times vary by tour and will be shared with registrants. Express interest in tours here.	Varies by tour
3:30-5:00 pm	NAE Member Meeting	304 Teer Building 110 Science Dr, Durham, NC 27708, on Duke University’s West Campus
5:30-7:45 pm	Reception and Dinner for Speakers and Special Guests (invitation only)	See invitation for details

Wednesday, May 20

Conference events will be held at the Fitzpatrick Center for Interdisciplinary Engineering, Medicine and Allied Science (FCIEMAS), 101 Science Dr, Durham, NC 27708, on Duke University’s West Campus.

Time	Event
8:00-9:00 am	Attendee Check-in and Continental Breakfast
9:00-9:05 am	Welcome Remarks Alec Gallimore Provost, Duke University
9:05-9:15 am	Welcome Remarks Tsu-Jae Liu President, NAE
9:15-9:30 am	Meeting Overview Jerome Lynch, Yiran Chen, and Hai “Helen” Li Duke University

Session 1: Modernizing Airspace: Safety, New Entrants, and Operational Realities

Rapid growth in aviation, advanced air mobility, and emerging vehicle concepts are placing new demands on the national airspace system. This session examines the operational pressures, technological developments, and policy challenges shaping the future of safe and efficient airspace management.

Time	Speaker	Talk Title
9:30-10:10 am	Keynote Alton “Al” D. Romig, Jr. Executive Officer, NAE	The National Academies and the Nation’s Aerospace Program
10:10-10:50 am	Keynote Captain Jim Graham Sr. VP of Delta Connection and CEO of Endeavor Air for Delta Airlines	The Future of Airspace – Why Modernizing Air Traffic Systems Matters Now
10:50-11:00 am	Break
11:00-11:15 am	Panel Talk Alan Epstein R.C. Maclaurin Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics Emeritus, MIT	Commercial Propulsion: Continuing Challenges, New Opportunities
11:15-11:30 am	Panel Talk Michael Guterres Portfolio Leader, Mitre	Advanced Air Mobility Landscape: Policy and Progress to Reality
11:30-11:45 am	Panel Talk Pascal Joly Senior Director, Engineer & Operations Safety, Security & Technical Affairs — AAW, Airbus	How Modernizing Airspace Could Improve Flight Efficiency
11:45-11:50 am	Break
11:50 am-12:30 pm	Panel Discussion Moderator: Alec Gallimore, Provost, Duke University Panelists: Alton “Al” D. Romig, Jr., Executive Officer, NAE Captain Jim Graham, Sr. VP of Delta Connection and CEO of Endeavor Air for Delta Airlines Alan Epstein, R.C. Maclaurin Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics Emeritus, MIT Michael Guterres, Portfolio Leader, Mitre Gabriel Katul, George Pearsall Distinguished Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Duke University Pascal Joly, Senior Director, Engineer & Operations Safety, Security & Technical Affairs — AAW, Airbus
12:30-1:30 pm	Lunch

Session 2: Next Generation Aircraft Technologies: Design, Autonomy, and Sustainability

Breakthroughs in aircraft design, autonomy, structural monitoring, and environmental science are reshaping the future of aviation. This session highlights emerging technologies that could enable safer, more efficient, and more sustainable aircraft systems.

Time	Speaker	Title
1:30-2:10 pm	Keynote Michimasa Fujino Former President and CEO, Honda Aircraft Company	Development of Advanced Light Business Jet and the Future of Business Aviation
2:10-2:50 pm	Keynote Ella Atkins Fred D. Durham Chair in Engineering and Department Head of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering, Virginia Tech	Contingency and Airspace Management Autonomy for Advanced Air Mobility
2:50-3:00 pm	Break
3:00-3:15 pm	Panel Talk John Hansman T. Wilson Professor in Aeronautics, MIT	The Challenge of Breaking Out of Existing Paradigms in Air Transportation
3:15-3:30 pm	Panel Talk Michael Todd Professor and Department Chair in Structural Engineering, UCSD	Can Aircraft Structural Health Monitoring be an Enabler for the Future of Air Traffic Control?
3:30-4:10 pm	Session 2 Panel Moderator: Earl Dowell, William Holland Hall Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Duke University Panelists: Michimasa Fujino, Former President and CEO, Honda Aircraft Company Ella Atkins, Fred D. Durham Chair in Engineering and Department Head of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering, Virginia Tech John Hansman, T. Wilson Professor in Aeronautics, MIT Michael Todd, Professor and Department Chair in Structural Engineering, UCSD
4:10-4:20 pm	Break

Panel Session: From Innovation to Implementation: Deploying the Future Aviation Ecosystem

This concluding panel synthesizes insights from across the meeting, focusing on how technology, operations, industry, and policy must align to successfully implement next-generation aviation systems at scale.

Time	Event
4:20-5:00 pm	Moderator: Yiran Chen, John Cocke Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Duke University Panelists: Kerry Buckley, Vice President, Center for Integrated Transportation, The Mitre Corporation William Sandifer, Executive Vice President and Chief Development Officer, RDU Maria Gorlatova, James N. & Elizabeth H. Barton Associate Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Duke University Farhan Gandhi, Hassan A. Hassan Distinguished Professor in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, NC State University
5:00-6:00 pm	Break
6:00-8:00 pm	Reception & Dinner Penn Pavilion, 107 Union Dr, Durham, NC 27710, on Duke University’s West Campus

Time

Event

4:20-5:00 pm

Moderator: Yiran Chen, John Cocke Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Duke University

Panelists:

Kerry Buckley, Vice President, Center for Integrated Transportation, The Mitre Corporation
William Sandifer, Executive Vice President and Chief Development Officer, RDU
Maria Gorlatova, James N. & Elizabeth H. Barton Associate Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Duke University
Farhan Gandhi, Hassan A. Hassan Distinguished Professor in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, NC State University

5:00-6:00 pm

Break

6:00-8:00 pm

Reception & Dinner
Penn Pavilion, 107 Union Dr, Durham, NC 27710, on Duke University’s West Campus

Thursday, May 21

Time	Event
8:00-9:00 AM	Continental Breakfast

Session 3: The Future of Air Transportation Systems and the Aerospace Economy

As aviation evolves toward increasingly autonomous and integrated systems, new business models and operational frameworks are emerging. This session explores the future of air transportation systems, market dynamics, and opportunities created by advances in technology and airspace operations.

Time	Speaker	Title
9:00-9:40 am	Keynote John-Paul Clarke Ernest Cockrell, Jr. Memorial Chair in Engineering, UT Austin	Innovation in Commercial Aviation: Challenges and Opportunities
9:40-10:20 am	Keynote Ron Epstein Managing Director, Aerospace and Defense Bank of America, Aerospace at the Bank of America/Merrill Lynch	An Aerospace Engineer Walks into an Investment Bank
10:20-10:30 am	Break
10:30-10:45 am	Panel Talk Jesse Quinlan Technologist, Advanced Air Vehicles Program, NASA	Revolutionizing Future Aerial Mobility through Transformative Air Vehicle Concepts and Technologies
10:45-11:00 am	Panel Talk Miroslav Pajic Director of Master’s Studies, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Duke University	When Autonomy Meets Adversarial Reality: Assuring the Future of (Urban) Air Transportation Systems
11:00-11:05 am	Mini Break
11:05-11:45 am	Panel Discussion Moderator: Jerome Lynch, Vinik Dean of Engineering, Duke University Panelists: John-Paul Clarke, Ernest Cockrell, Jr. Memorial Chair in Engineering, UT Austin Ron Epstein, Managing Director, Aerospace and Defense Bank of America, Aerospace at the Bank of America/Merrill Lynch Jesse Quinlan, Technologist, Advanced Air Vehicles Program, NASA Miroslav Pajic, Director of Master’s Studies, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Duke University
11:45 am-12:00 pm	Closing Remarks Jerome Lynch, Vinik Dean of Engineering, Duke University Alec Gallimore, Provost, Duke University
12:00-12:30 pm	Box Lunches
12:30-1:30 pm	Campus / Lab Tours – Tours of Yiran Chen, Miroslav Pajic and Maria Gorlatova’s labs

Download the Schedule

Download here

Ready to Register?

Travel Information

The nearest airport to Duke University is the Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU). Public transportation in Durham is limited; we recommend that you plan to take a taxi, rental car, or ride-share (e.g., Uber, Lyft) from the airport and when traveling around Durham.

The approximate travel time from RDU to Duke University is between 20 minutes (without traffic) and 45 minutes (with traffic).
Conference events will be held at the Fitzpatrick Center for Interdisciplinary Engineering, Medicine and Allied Science (FCIEMAS), 101 Science Dr, Durham, NC 27708, on Duke University’s West Campus.

There are several hotels available near campus for you to choose from for your stay. Here is a selection for your consideration (walking distances shown):
- AC Hotel Durham (0.7 mi from venue)
  - The AC Hotel is offering a special discounted rate of $189.00/night to NAE conference attendees. Use the above link to reserve. (Note: the last day to book for this rate is Monday, April 20, 2026)
- JB Duke Hotel (on campus, 0.8 mi from venue, shuttle to campus is available)
- Washington Duke Inn (on campus, 0.9 mi from venue, shuttle to campus is available)
- Hilton Garden Inn Durham (1 mi from venue, shuttle to campus is available)
- Residence Inn Durham (2.7 mi from venue, shuttle to campus is available)
- Marriott Durham Downtown (3.5 mi from venue)
- 21c Museum Hotel (4.1 mi from venue)
If you find yourself with some free time during your visit, Duke, Durham and its surrounding area has many amenities to offer:
- The Duke Chapel is open to the public from 10 am to 8 pm daily.
- Stroll through a gallery at the Nasher Museum of Art or the North Carolina Museum of Art, Museum of Life + Science
- Admire the spring colors at the Sarah P. Duke Gardens, Duke Forest or the Eno River State Park,
- Play a round at the Washington Duke Golf Club or Topgolf,
- Catch a show by Duke Arts, the nationally-recognized Durham Performing Arts Center, or the Carolina Theatre,
For more ideas, visit the Discover Durham website.
Please use the following link for driving directions from your current location to campus.

If you will need a campus parking pass during your stay, please contact NAE2026@duke.edu.

Duke University NAE Conference Organization Team

General Chairs:
- Alec Gallimore, PhD, Provost and Chief Academic Officer
- Yiran Chen, PhD, John Cocke Distinguished Professor
Program Chairs:
- Jerome Lynch, PhD, Vinik Dean of Engineering
- Hai “Helen” Li, PhD, Marie Foote Reel E’46 Distinguished Professor
Organization Chairs:
- Jennifer Bailey, Administrative Director, Office of the Provost
- Julie Barker, Chief of Staff to the Provost
- Cyndi Rice, Assoc. Director of ECE Operations
- Tammy Toler, Administrative Assistant, Office of the Provost

Contact the organization team at NAE2026@duke.edu.