More VFS Honors
Ph.D. student Visesh Uppoor was the Lichten Award Runner-up, as well as the VFS Southeast U.S. Region Lichten Competition winner, for his paper, “Hingeless Rotor Aeroelastic Stability Measurement and Validation at High Advance Ratios.”
Nine University of Maryland (UMD) aerospace engineering students were among the 33 individuals selected for 2026 scholarships from the Vertical Flight Society (VFS). Granted through the Vertical Flight Foundation (VFF), the VFS’ philanthropic arm, the annual awards recognize outstanding college students pursuing careers and research in the field of vertical flight.
Home to the Alfred Gessow Rotorcraft Center, one of only three government-funded, university-based Vertical Lift Research Centers of Excellence in the United States, UMD is a leader in rotorcraft innovation, with decades of pioneering research, industry partnerships, and education programs shaping future innovators in vertical flight—including these 2026 VFF scholarship recipients.
Awardees
Batin Bugday, Ph.D. student | Hal Andrews Scholarship
 Bugday conducts his research at the AGRC’s Extended Reality Flight Simulation and Control Laboratory under the guidance of Professor Umberto Saetti. His work focuses on the stability and control of vertical lift vehicles, with an emphasis on developing novel models that capture the complex interactions and coupling between aerodynamics, flight dynamics, and aeroacoustics.
“It is an honor to be recognized by the Vertical Flight Foundation,” added Bugday. “Receiving this award twice during my Ph.D. journey is especially meaningful, and it motivates me to continue pushing the boundaries of rotorcraft simulation and control.”
His research aims to enable real-time, mid-fidelity flight simulations integrated with extended reality technologies, supporting the development of advanced flight control systems and enhanced pilot–vehicle interaction through multimodal cueing.
He earned his B.S. in mechanical engineering from Middle East Technical University, Türkiye, and prior attending UMD for his doctoral studies, he gained industry experience in indigenous rotorcraft design, flight mechanics, and systems engineering.
Bugday’s long-term goal is to advance the state of the art in rotorcraft modeling and control by bridging the gap between high-fidelity physics, real-time simulation, and control design for next-generation vertical lift vehicles. He aims to become a leader in the field, contributing to technologies that make vertical flight safer, more efficient, and more accessible.
He explains that the VFF scholarship support provides him the flexibility to explore innovative ideas and pursue challenging research directions, enabling a deeper focus on high-impact problems in flight dynamics and control. It also helps facilitate collaboration with industry and academic partners, and supports the dissemination of his work through publications, conferences, and presentations.
Peter Capozzoli, M.S. student | Robert Head Scholarship
 Capozzoli is a graduate student in the AGRC with Professor Anubhav Datta. As an undergraduate student in the AGRC, he researched airflow visualization and measurement using a special event-based camera.
For his graduate studies, he plans to continue research on applications of vision-based sensors, for example, he explained, vision-based, autonomous landing of a quadcopter drone on a ship deck.
“This scholarship significantly eases the financial burden,” said Capozzoli. “And it allows me to focus more time and energy on my studies.
Marge Donovan, Ph.D. student | Dr. Richard L. Bennett Scholarship
 Donovan is a graduate student in the AGRC collaborating with Professor Anubhav Datta where her research focuses on the testing and validation of unconventional rotor blades in extreme environments. Enabling flight on Mars is one of the aims of her research, explaining that “to fly in such an unforgiving, low-density atmosphere (1% the density of Earth), we must fabricate geometrically advanced rotor blades.”
UMD is working in conjunction with NASA's Rotor Optimization for the Advancement of Mars eXploration (ROAMX) project to continue pushing the boundaries of extraterrestrial flight, and the unique blade featured in her Ph.D. research has introduced her to unprecedented obstacles in blade fabrication, like a 1% thickness-to-chord ratio at the tip that must be addressed through innovative solutions and progressive iterations. The fabricated blades are now being vacuum tested to obtain non-rotating and rotating frequencies and strains. This test data will help validate UMD's in-house 3-D analysis software, X3D.
“I am so grateful to my advisor and my peers at the University of Maryland and the Vertical Flight Foundation for their belief in my dreams and the support of my goals,” she said. “And I hope to continue to fuel my passion for structural dynamics and sustainability in the electric vertical take-off and landing field (eVTOL).”
Donavan dreams of being an astronaut, and says “I know the lessons I’ve learned at UMD in the rotorcraft lab, as well as inside and outside of the classroom will help to give me the best possible opportunity to achieve this goal.”
Yuval Enciu, M.S. student | Eugene K. Liberatore Scholarship
 Enciu is a second-year M.S. student working under the guidance of Professor Anubhav Datta. Her research explores the development and demonstration of certifiable, zero-emission, long range rotorcraft. Her work focuses on characterization and testing of PEM fuel cell stacks with gaseous hydrogen, analysis of rotorcraft flight test data, model tuning, and the development of propulsion and aeromechanic design optimization analysis tools.
"I am very honored to be receiving the VFF scholarship from the Vertical Flight Society,” said Enciu. “And I greatly appreciate their continued support of students in the field of rotorcraft."
Outside of research, she mentors undergraduate students and STEM interns. Yuval received her B.S. in aerospace engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington in 2023. After completing her M.S. degree, Enciu plans to continue in the Ph.D. program at UMD with her current advisor. Post-graduation, she aims to pursue a career in the rotorcraft field, with a particular focus on flight testing of eVTOL aircraft.
Samuel (Sam) Renz, M.S. student | VFS Arizona Chapter Scholarship
 A first-year M.S. student, Renz collaborates with Professor Inderjit Chopra in the AGRC, where his current research is in the development and testing of a solar-powered quadrotor helicopter, Solar Gamera. Renz received his B.S. in aerospace engineering from UMD in 2025. This summer, Renz will shift gears toward experimental research of the compound helicopter configuration to find improvements in efficiency and speed capability.
After graduation, his goal is to gain industry experience in rotorcraft or wind turbine design, particularly in the area of structural design, adding that down the line, he wants to work in academia, where he can advise research and teach students.
“It is an honor to be recognized by the Vertical Flight Foundation for my hard work and aspirations in the rotorcraft industry,” said Renz. “I am proud of my peers who also earned this award through their diligent efforts to advance vertical flight."
Muhammad Muneeb Safdar, Ph.D. student | Dr. Jing Yen VFF Scholarship for Cost Awareness
 Safdar is a U.S. Fulbright Fellow working in the AGRC under the supervision of Professor James Baeder. He holds a B.E. in aerospace engineering from the National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Pakistan, and an M.S. in aerospace engineering from Air University, Islamabad. He also completed a second M.S. degree in aerospace engineering at UMD and before Maryland, he gained nine years of experience in both aerospace industry and academia.
“I am truly honored to receive this award,” said Safdar. “It feels good to see that all those long hours with simulations, debugging, and patience are paying off."
His research focuses on improving aerodynamic predictions and rotorcraft design. He has developed a correction to a commonly used turbulence model to improve accuracy in challenging flow conditions such as low Reynolds number and adverse pressure gradients. In parallel, he also works on rotor blade design and combines high-fidelity CFD with faster engineering models. A key highlight of his work is his contribution to the aerodynamic design of a practical eVTOL rotor blade intended for real-world operation.
His goal is to work on advanced rotorcraft and eVTOL design, where improved aerodynamic modeling can directly impact performance and efficiency, and he says that the VFF scholarship will support his research, enabling him to focus more on developing practical design methods for real applications.
Sridatta Satuluri, Ph.D. student | GE Aerospace Scholarship
 Satuluri works in the AGRC under the mentorship of Professor Inderjit Chopra, where his research focus is on the experimental testing of high-speed rotorcraft, specifically exploring the aeroelastic stability of soft-in-plane rotors. Prior to this, his research involved smart structure actuator design for rotorcraft testing.
“I am honored to have been selected by the Vertical Flight Foundation scholarship committee for this award,” said Satuluri. “This recognition motivates me to continue pushing the boundaries of research in high-speed rotorcraft technologies.”
He completed his B.Tech in mechanical engineering at NIT Warangal in 2020, his M.Tech in 2022 at Jain University and an M.S. in aerospace engineering from UMD in 2024.
Post graduation, he aims to work in industry before transitioning to a career in academia.
Logan Swaisgood, Ph.D. student | Dr. Alfred Gessow Scholarship
 Swaisgood is a fourth-year Ph.D. under the mentorship of Professor Anubhav Datta in the AGRC, where he currently investigates ways to improve 3D rotorcraft simulations by applying aerodynamic forces more precisely to 3D structural models. Swaisgood has published his research in two conference papers for VFS and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). He completed both his B.S. and M.S. in aerospace engineering at UMD.
"I am truly honored to be recognized for this award, and I am thankful to my advisors and peers who have made me into the engineer I am today,” said Swaisgood, whose scholarship will help pay for his cost of living as a graduate student, and support travel for summer internships. “I am thankful for the generosity of those who want to give graduate students like me the support they need to flourish."
After graduation, Swaisgood aims to work at the NASA Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California, and pursue work on the development of new Mars science helicopters.
Elena Wu, Undergraduate | Dr. Wei Chong (Ben) Sim Memorial Scholarship
 Part of UMD’s ACES Honors College, Wu works in the Composites Research Laboratory with Professor Norman Wereley, where her research investigates the mechanical properties of elastomeric Miura-ori origami for camber morphing wings. This work earned her a second-place poster at the 2026 SAMPE Baltimore/Washington Student Research Symposium.
Also, a recipient of the 2025 ASME INSPIRE/Charles W.E. Clarke Scholarship, Wu is passionate about both mechanical engineering and design. In addition to her research, she is also project manager for the TERP RAPTOR space mission, an initiative aimed at conducting a flyby of asteroid Apophis, while establishing UMD's first CubeSat program.
“I am grateful for VFF's support in my academic and research journey,” said Wu. “It is truly an honor to be selected for this award."
The Vertical Flight Society is the world's oldest and largest technical society dedicated to enhancing the understanding of vertical flight technology. Since its founding as the American Helicopter Society (AHS) in 1943—just as the first US helicopter was being put into service—the society has been the primary forum for interchange of information on vertical flight technology.
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April 8, 2026
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