Mostafa Hassanalian

Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at New Mexico Tech

Dr. Mostafa Hassanalian is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at New Mexico Tech. He earned his Ph.D. and Master of Science degrees in Mechanical Engineering from New Mexico State University in July 2018 and December 2016, respectively.

Dr. Hassanalian’s main research interests lie in autonomous systems, bioinspiration and biomimetics, and drone technology. He has served as Principal Investigator (PI) and Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI) on projects totaling over $9 million in funding from agencies and organizations such as the National Science Foundation (NSF), NASA, NIOSH-CDC, the Alpha Foundation, and Sceye Inc. He has authored over 250 peer-reviewed journal and conference publications, including more than 150 papers presented at AIAA conferences, demonstrating his leading role in the aerospace and drone research community. Since 2021, he has been consistently recognized among the Top 2% most-cited scientists worldwide, both for single-year and career-long impact, as published by Stanford University and Elsevier.

In recognition of his outstanding contributions to research and service, Dr. Hassanalian received the Distinguished Service Award at New Mexico Tech in 2024 and the Distinguished Research Award in 2025. Earlier, in October 2021, he was also honored with the United Nations-USA SDG Advocate Award from the UNA Project Rocky Mountain Region. Segments of his research—particularly his innovative Taxidermy Bird Drone project—have achieved global media attention, reaching an estimated audience of over 6 billion people. His work has been featured in major outlets such as The New York Times, National Geographic, The Washington Post, Reuters, EuroNews, and the New York Post, among others. Dr. Hassanalian is currently advising 20 graduate students, including 9 Ph.D. and 11 M.S. students, and has successfully graduated 3 Ph.D. and 22 M.S. students to date.

Beyond his research, Dr. Hassanalian actively contributes to education and community engagement. He serves as a board member of Friends of Bosque del Apache, and as faculty advisor for several New Mexico Tech student organizations, including the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), Society of Allied Weight Engineers (SAWE), VEX Robotics, NASA MINDS, and NASA Lunabotics teams. He also leads the K–12 Drone Program at New Mexico Tech, fostering STEM outreach and workforce development across New Mexico.