Awards Presented at the January 2026 JANNAF Meeting

Airbreathing Propulsion Subcommittee (APS) Best Paper Award

Primary Author: 
Robin L. Hunt, PhD, NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA

Author List:
R. L. Hunt, NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA; J. J. Fritch and J. M. Donnellan, Innoveering, LLC, Bohemia, NY; and S. J. Bianco and C. A. Rahe, NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, OH

January 2026 JANNAF Meeting Chair, Robert Baurle, PhD, presented the APS Best Paper Award to Richard Gaffney, PhD, who accepted the award on behalf of Robin L. Hunt, PhD.

APS Lifetime Achievement Award

Dean R. Eklund, PhD, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH

Eklund was presented with the award for dedicated service, marked by technical excellence and impactful achievements, in the development and demonstration of hypersonic weapon systems, modeling and simulation, and the JANNAF community.

January 2026 JANNAF Meeting Chair, Robert Baurle, PhD, presented the APS Lifetime Achievement Award to Dean R. Eklund, PhD.

APS Lifetime Achievement Award

James W. Weber, PhD, OASD Critical Technologies, Washington, DC

Weber was presented with this award for outstanding leadership and management of U.S. hypersonic science and technology, prototyping, test and evaluation, and industrial base development.

James W. Weber, PhD, accepted the APS Lifetime Achievement Award from January 2026 JANNAF Meeting Chair, Robert Baurle, PhD.

APS Lifetime Achievement Award

Lawrence Huebner, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL

Huebner was presented with this award for outstanding dedication and transformative leadership of the Airbreathing Propulsion Subcommittee.

CS Best Paper Award

Primary Author: 
Samuel Calello, III, Innovative Scientific Solutions, Inc., Dayton, OH

Author List:
S. Calello, III and J. P. Sykes, Innovative Scientific Solutions, Inc., Dayton, OH; B. A. Rankin, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH; and M. E. Harvazinski and T. P. Gallagher, Air Force Research Laboratory, Edwards AFB, CA

CS Best Paper Award

Primary Author:
Timothy M. Ombrello, PhD, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH

Author List:
T. M. Ombrello and S. D. Hammack, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH; and E. L. Braun, National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Washington, DC

On behalf of Timothy M. Ombrello, PhD, Robert Baurle, PhD, accepted the CS Best Paper Award from CS Technical Steering Group (TSG) Chair, Heather Hayden, PhD.

Combustion Subcommittee (CS) Lifetime Achievement Award

Michael J. Nusca, PhD, DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD

Nusca was presented with this award for recognition of dedicated service, outstanding leadership, and impactful participation in the Combustion Subcommittee and the JANNAF community.

Liquid Propulsion Subcommittee (LPS) Lifetime Achievement Award

Eric J. Paulson, PhD, Paulson Blue Skies, Inc., Carrington, ND

Paulson was presented with this award for continuous and impactful contributions to rotating detonation rocket engine technology and development and decades of leadership within JANNAF.

LPS TSG Chair Matthew Billingsley presented Eric J. Paulson, PhD, with the LPS Lifetime Achievement Award.

Technical Executive Committee (TEC) Certificate of Commendation

Rodger Cornell, PhD, DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD

Cornell was presented with this award in recognition of his contributions, along with Ms. Alexis Burnette, to the nascent JANNAF Early Career Working Group (ECWG) and, in particular, for their efforts related to the coordination of the first ECWG Poster Session at the December 2024 meeting. The session was considered to have been very successful and will serve as a model for sessions at future meetings.

TEC Certificate of Commendation

Alexis Burnette, Naval Surface Warfare Center-Indian Head Division, Indian Head, MD

Burnette was presented with this award in recognition of her contributions, along with Dr. Rodger Cornell, to the nascent JANNAF Early Career Working Group (ECWG) and, in particular, for their efforts related to the coordination of the first ECWG Poster Session at the December 2024 meeting. The session was considered to have been very successful and will serve as a model for sessions at future meetings.

TEC Certificate of Appreciation

Alexis Burnette, Naval Surface Warfare Center-Indian Head Division, Indian Head, MD

Burnette was presented with this award in recognition of her contributions, along with Dr. Justin Clough, to the JANNAF Early Career Working Group (ECWG). Alexis and Justin led the effort for networking events at the 2023 Oklahoma City, OK and 2025 Charlotte, NC meetings. The networking events were deliberately held early in the meeting to enable maximum engagement during the rest of the meeting; the approach was highly successful and serves as a model for future meetings.

TEC Certificate of Appreciation

Justin Clough, PhD, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 

Clough was presented with this award in recognition of his contributions, along with Ms. Alexis Burnette, to the JANNAF Early Career Working Group (ECWG). Alexis and Justin led the effort for networking events at the 2023 Oklahoma City, OK and 2025 Charlotte, NC meetings. The networking events were deliberately held early in the meeting to enable maximum engagement during the rest of the meeting; the approach was highly successful and serves as a model for future meetings.

Justin Clough, PhD, accepted the TEC Certificate of Appreciation from JANNAF TEC Chair, Frank Tse.

TEC Outstanding Achievement Award

Elliot Wainwright, PhD, DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD

Wainwright was presented with this award in recognition of outstanding contributions to the stand-up and success of JANNAF's nascent Early Career Working Group (ECWG). Dr. Wainwright hosted well-attended information sessions at each of the three major JANNAF Joint Subcommittee Meetings from 2023-2024 that resulted in membership levels on the order of 100 active early career JANNAF members. To date, Dr. Wainwright has organized three ECWG Speaker Series events. Each was very well attended and made an impact not only on ECWG members, but also the broader JANNAF community. Dr. Wainwright was also the catalyst for the launch of the ECWG Poster Session Series, the first of which was held at the December 2024 meeting. Dr. Wainwright has demonstrated both strong leadership and the ability to recruit other highly motivated Early Career JANNAF members to work toward the successful launch and sustainment of the ECWG.
 

TEC Certificate of Appreciation

Shelley S. Cohen, JHU WSE Energetics Research Group, Columbia, MD

Cohen was presented with this award for exceptional service through dedication, skill, and limitless energy, ensuring the success of our JANNAF meetings.

JANNAF Senior Meeting Planner, Shelley S. Cohen, accepted the TEC Certificate of Appreciation from JANNAF TEC Chair, Frank Tse.

JANNAF Propulsion Meeting (JPM) Best Paper Award

Prof. Stephen B. Cronin, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA

Author List:
C. Medchill, C. Hauck, and S. B. Cronin, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA; and A. A. Perezselsky, A. Cortopassi, and A. L. Briseno, The Aerospace Corporation, El Segundo, CA