Dr. Anna Oldani will discuss how the Federal Aviation Administration’s Office of Environment and Energy (AEE) deploys research to support informed decision‐making at national and international levels. Through coordinated multi‐agency programs and partnerships with industry and academia, AEE advances R&D efforts across the space of sustainable aviation topics. This work includes the Aviation Sustainability Center of Excellence (ASCENT), a university research initiative with over a dozen domestic universities. The ASCENT research portfolio spans aircraft and engine technologies, sustainable aviation fuels, emissions testing, noise modeling, and other areas related to assessing the environmental impact of aviation. AEE provides a unique opportunity to support the development and deployment of near‐term solutions that will enable the long‐term sustainability of global aviation.
Dr. Anna Oldani is the Chief Scientific and Technical Advisor for Environment and Energy at the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. She leads numerous sustainable aviation research programs, through the Aviation Sustainability Center (ASCENT) Center of Excellence. Her research portfolio spans sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) development and deployment, low‐emission aviation technologies, and operational and technology improvements to address noise and emissions. She supports interagency coordination with USDA and DOE through the SAF Grand Challenge. Alongside her colleagues, she is advancing the new Fueling Aviation’s Sustainable Transition (FAST) grant program. Dr. Oldani also serves as co‐rapporteur of the ICAO Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection – Fuels Task Group. Dr. Oldani received her PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois where she focused on fuel characterization and alternative jet fuel integration.