Engineering the future of sustainable aviation
By Matthew Clarke on 03/05/2026 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. in 1611 Titan Dr., Rantoul, IL 61866
Join Matthew Clarke of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign as he presents in person at the Spring 2026 Kent Seminar Series Thursday, March 5, from 2-3 p.m. (CT).
The Spring 2026 semester is set to feature 14 presentations, each addressing a topic related to innovation trends in aviation. See the full lineup of speakers for Spring 2026 semester.
Pizza and soft drinks will be provided beginning at 1:30 p.m. in the ICT Classroom.
All presentations will be held on Zoom, but some speakers will present in person at ICT.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://go.illinois.edu/KentSeminar
Meeting ID: 856 1731 4207
Passcode: 019160
Abstract and Bio
The aviation industry faces a critical challenge. Despite international commitments to achieve net-zero emissions by midcentury, uncertainty about technology-integration pathways has created barriers to investment. This talk presents two connected research efforts that address gaps across multiple engineering disciplines: experimental characterization of electrochemical energy storage systems under aviation-relevant operating conditions and its implications for certification, and the use of multidisciplinary design optimization to inform a next-generation hydrogen blended-wing-body aircraft. Together, these efforts show how systems-level thinking, paired with targeted experimental validation, can accelerate the transition to sustainable aviation.
Clarke is an assistant professor of aerospace engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Howard University and master’s and doctoral degrees in aeronautics and astronautics from Stanford University in 2022, then served as the Boeing Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the inaugural cohort of the Postdoctoral Fellowship Program for Engineering Excellence. He directs the Laboratory for Electric Aircraft Design and Sustainability, using multiphysics computational modeling and experimentation to advance integration of advanced propulsion architectures into next-generation aerospace systems, and he is a member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics’ Electric Aircraft Technology Technical Committee and the IEEE Transportation Electrification Community Technical Committee on Electrified Aircraft.