About

Dr. Ahsan Choudhuri is a  Professor of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). He holds the Mr. and Mrs. MacIntosh Murchison Distinguished Chair Professor in Engineering. Dr. Ahsan Choudhuri's academic career has evolved within the paradigm of legendary UTEP President Dr. Diana Natalicio's vision of access and excellence. He is a regional leader who creates abundant educational and economic opportunities to ensure social mobility for the residents of the Paso Del Norte region.

Dr. Ahsan Choudhuri is an internationally renowned expert in aerospace and defense systems. Dr. Choudhuri founded the UTEP Aerospace Center and led the growth of the UTEP aerospace and defense education and research program from infancy to a nationally recognized program. Dr. Choudhuri has an extensive research portfolio in space systems, missile systems, digital engineering, and uncrewed aerial systems, employing nearly 200 faculty, staff, and student researchers in 2023. He has formed strategic collaborations and partnerships with NASA, DOD, and the aerospace and defense industries. Dr. Choudhuri served as a key institutional leader in developing and managing the partnership with Lockheed Martin Corporation and NASA. Dr. Choudhuri has been the research supervisor of 118  Ph.D. and M.S. Students and co-authored more than 200 refereed technical publications with his students. Dr. Choudhuri is a member of the Executive Committee of the Lunar Surface Innovation Consortium (LSIC), which supports NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate, and chaired the Texas Department of Transportation Urban Air Mobility Advisory Committee.

Dr. Choudhuri led the university's partnership with the County of El Paso and the City of El Paso to expand UTEP academic, research, and economic development expansions in the eastern region of El Paso County, the fastest-growing and most underserved area. His vision has created the Aerospace Center's Tech 1 Aerospace Campus in Fabens, TX, the Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS) Flight Test Range in Tornillo, TX, and the City of El Paso's Advanced Manufacturing District. Dr. Choudhuri's activities focus on catalyzing a regional talent and technology development ecosystem by providing strategic capabilities in Aerospace and Defense Technologies and Advanced Manufacturing. Dr. Choudhuri Co-led the vision for "El Paso Makes" to build an aerospace and defense manufacturing economy for EL Paso. He has been at the forefront of creating a "real" Launch-Pad of innovation cluster for the economic development of the greater Southwest Border Region by connecting the area's engineering talents, UTEP's excellent research and development facilities and capabilities, and regional economic development funds. Dr. Choudhuri led the El Paso region's winning proposal for the Build Back Better Regional Challenge Grant from the Economic Development Administration. The regional proposal led by Dr. Choudhuri is a finalist for the National Science Foundation's Regional Innovation Engine Grant Program.

Dr. Choudhuri has received numerous awards and recognitions, including the Faculty Award for Research Innovation from NASA, multiple Best Paper Awards from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), and Millionaire Research Awards, Outstanding Leadership Award, and Outstanding Performance for Securing Extramural Funding Award from UTEP. Dr. Choudhuri was nominated for the 2019 and 2022 "El Pasoan of the Year Award" for his work with regional economic development stakeholders. Dr. Choudhuri also received the Mayor's Distinguished Award from the City of El Paso and the Ridley Innovation Award from the El Paso Chamber of Commerce.

Dr. Choudhuri is an El Pasoan who wishes to be buried in his beloved city. He wants to remain in his most cherished place on earth for eternity. Dr. Choudhuri is a proud alumnus of Khulna University of Engineering and Technology, where he received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. He received his M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Oklahoma School of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering.