DR. SOUMYA PATNAIK
Aerospace Systems
Dr. Soumya Patnaik leads a multidisciplinary modeling group that develops models for aircraft power and thermal management subsystems. Her team’s research spans from developing new and innovative modeling approaches to transitioning their models to predict the performance of current aircraft systems.
Dr. Patnaik says that the best part of her job is her opportunity to learn something new every day, as well as her role in shaping future technology. She cherishes having the freedom to do exploratory research that has direct impact on keeping our country safe. The Aerospace Systems Directorate has access to some of the best computing facilities in the world and the opportunity to work with some of the best minds. “I work with colleagues with very diverse background and training,” Soumya told us, “some have strong numerical foundation while others might have experience with working on actual aircraft systems so there is a lot of diversity in ideas.”
Dr. Patnaik’s career has seen many exciting successes, but her highest achievement was developing models to support the F-22 and F-35 Programs, and she has some advice to give to those looking to start a career in STEM. “This is a great time to be interested in STEM. You will have to work hard but the payoff is great as a lot of important future advancement in the world are going to be in the STEM area,” she reported.
When asked why she thinks recent college graduates should consider working for AFRL, Dr. Patnaik had this to say, “I think young people want to have a career that is meaningful, and so working on things that improve our warfighting capability is huge. AFRL works on a very wide range of technology providing young people a large area to select from. Most importantly, AFRL provides great opportunities and there is something for everyone.”