Javier de Luis

Dr. Javier de Luis earned BS (1983), MS (1985), and PhD (1989) in Aeronautics and Astronautics from MIT, as well as an MS (2003) from the Sloan School of Management.  His professional interests are in the fields of safety, aerospace research and operations, engineering design and analysis, and technology management.  Dr. de Luis joined Payload Systems Inc. in 1989 as a staff scientist, and later as the Chief Scientist and CEO at the company, prior to its merger with Aurora Flight Sciences.  While at Aurora, he was Chief Scientist and Vice President for Research and Development until 2016.  Presently, he holds a Lecturer appointment at MIT.

Dr. de Luis has served as the principal investigator/project manager for multiple aerospace research projects, including the Middeck 0-gravity Dynamics Experiment (MODE),  Middeck Active Control Experiment (MACE) and the Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites (SPHERES).  He has published papers on such diverse topics as piezoelectric actuators and intelligent structures, structural control, distributed sensing and computing, cell growth in microgravity, and design and development of spaceflight systems.  He authored the seminal paper in the field of Smart Materials, “Use of Piezoelectric Actuators as Elements of Intelligent Structures”, which has been referenced over 3541 times (as of April-2022) by subsequent journal and conference publications.  In January 2023, Dr. de Luis was appointed to the FAA Expert Panel charged with reviewing Boeing safety culture.  The panel’s final report was released to Congress in February, 2024.