The School of Engineering and Materials Science (SEMS) welcomed representatives of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) on 21 October 2026 to explore establishing an AIAA Student Branch at Queen Mary University of London. Lindsay Mitchell, AIAA Director of Regions and Sections, and Martina Bruno, AIAA European Manager, met with staff and students to discuss opportunities for closer engagement with the international aerospace community.

The visit celebrated Queen Mary's students' growing involvement in AIAA activities. Since 2022, undergraduate and master students have consistently submitted research to AIAA Regional Student Conferences, achieving first-place awards in 2022 and 2024, with two further submissions in 2026. Pedagogical research has also highlighted an association between conference submissions and improved academic performance (Chetehouna et al., 2026, Education in Practice Journal).

Dr Eldad Avital, Aerospace Programme Director, introduced the School's programmes, research and facilities, supported by Dr Sathiskumar Ponnusami, Dr Vasily Gryazev and Dr Nick Zang.

Students from the School's Aerospace Society, Unmanned Aircraft Systems (QMUAS), Rocketry (Aurora) and Space Exploration (QMSEDS) teams enthusiastically presented their ambitious projects and showcased their engineering developments. The AIAA visitors were particularly impressed by the breadth and depth of extracurricular activities, technical achievements and students' motivation to pursue aerospace engineering beyond the classroom.

Discussions explored establishing an AIAA Student Branch, tighter collaboration with the AIAA and AIAA's plans to launch a European Student Conference in the near future, opening exciting new opportunities for Queen Mary's aerospace students.

The visit concluded with a tour of SEMS's aeronautical laboratories.