Chowdhury named AIAA Associate Fellow

The grade of Associate Fellow recognizes senior members of AIAA “who have accomplished or been in charge of important engineering or scientific work, or who have done original work of outstanding merit, or who have otherwise made outstanding contributions to the arts, sciences, or technology of aeronautics or astronautics.”

“Congratulations to each member of the Class of 2024 Associate Fellows,” said AIAA President Laura McGill. “This distinguished group of professionals has made significant and lasting contributions to the aerospace profession. They exemplify expertise and dedication to excellence in advancing their specific technical disciplines. They are truly shaping the future of aerospace and we are proud of their achievements.”

A faculty member at UB since 2016, Chowdhury leads the Adaptive Design Algorithms, Models and Systems (ADAMS) Lab. He is a 2021 recipient of the NSF CAREER Award and a 2019 recipient of the SEAS Early Career Researcher of the Year.

Chowdhury's research interests include nature inspired computing (evolutionary, swarm, and neural algorithms) for design and AI; metamodeling and multi-fidelity optimization; MINLP; swarm systems and swarm-bots; autonomous systems; and unmanned aerial vehicles. In addition to his affiliation with the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, he serves as an adjunct associate professor for the Department of Computer Science and Engineering.

“Since joining the department, Souma has become a prolific scholar and recognized researcher securing $3M in external research funding from agencies such as the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and NSF. He also the co-director of the Center for Embodied Autonomy and Robotics (CEAR) that was established in 2022 with Dr. Karthik Dantu. Souma also supports the school serving on the SEAS Tenure Committee and assumed leadership roles professionally with AIAA,” said Francine Battaglia, professor and chair of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. “These are just a few examples that exemplify how Souma has earned the recognition and distinction of ASME fellow.”

Chowdhury earned his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y. Prior to joining UB, he worked as a postdoctoral researcher and research faculty at Syracuse University and Mississippi State University.

AIAA will formally honor and induct the new class of Associate Fellows during the 2024 AIAA SciTech Forum, to be held this January in Orlando.