Spotlight: Noah Parsons Aviation Week's 20 Twenties Winner 2026

Noah Parsons, a master's student at West Virginia University, celebrates his recognition as a 2026 20 Twenties winner and shares his excitement for the Laureate Awards. 

Parsons enhances the understanding of fully unstable aerodynamic bodies critical to defense systems. He oversees experimental flight testing for a U.S. Navy-funded program that investigates tumbling dynamics under diverse mass and inertia conditions. His research combines neural networks, computational fluid dynamics, and validated six-degree-of-freedom models. He has also contributed as a lead author to several submissions for the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

Coming from a community with limited exposure to aerospace engineering, Parsons is now dedicated to mentoring undergraduates and creating initiatives that broaden access to technical education. He founded and served as treasurer for West Virginia University’s Design, Build, Fly Club and introduced a youth programming series in his hometown to inspire interest in aeronautical and aerospace engineering.

Nominations for the 2027, 20 Twenties awards are now open: https://fs2.formsite.com/AW-Events/y8fndk1m4f/index