Mohammad Ayoubi is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Santa Clara University (SCU) and is the faculty advisor for the AIAA SCU Student Branch.
Ayoubi was one of six faculty advisors that won the 2025 Faculty Advisor Award, recognizing his outstanding and dedicated efforts toward the student branch.
Beyond his research and professional service, Ayoubi is deeply committed to student mentorship and experiential learning. Over the past decade, he has advised numerous student teams participating in national and international competitions, organized field trips to local aerospace companies, invited experts from industry, and introduced and trained many engineering students in the field of aerospace engineering. He often holds information sessions on AIAA and encourages students to become AIAA student members. He has authored more than ten recommendation letters in support of students pursuing graduate studies in aerospace engineering or careers in the aerospace industry.
Under his guidance, the Santa Clara University team achieved first place among U.S. teams and third place internationally in the 2025 AIAA Design/Build/Fly Competition. Additionally, the SCU student branch hosted the 2024 Region VI Student Conference, which broke Region VI records for attendance and number of student research presentations.
“Professor Ayoubi epitomizes the qualities the Institute seeks to recognize with this award,” said Jeffery Puschell, AIAA Fellow and Region VI Deputy Director of Education. “He is the most effective student branch faculty advisor in Region VI and merits this recognition.”
Ayoubi is an AIAA Associate Fellow, an active member of the AIAA Intelligent Systems Technical Committee, and an Associate Editor for the AIAA Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets. His areas of expertise include multibody dynamics, astrodynamics, and guidance, navigation, and control (GN&C) of aerospace vehicles.
