MCA Old Boys 

ASHGROVE OLD BOY STARS AT NASA

1999 saw Aaron Brandis graduate from MCA as the College Dux. Today, you will find Dr Aaron Brandis as a Senior Research Scientist and lead investigator for shock layer radiation in the Entry System Modelling Project, at the NASA Ames Research Centre in Silicon Valley, California, USA.

After graduating from MCA, Aaron went to the University of Queensland (UQ), where he studied Mechanical and Space Engineering. In 2009, Aaron received a PhD in radiating hypersonic flows for entry into Mars and Titan, a moon of Saturn, from UQ’s Centre for Hypersonics.

In 2010, Aaron joined the team at NASA Ames Research Center Aerothermodynamics Branch, as a Senior Research Scientist. Aaron oversees the efforts to validate models for shock layer radiation encountered by vehicles entering an atmosphere. This includes working on various missions and proposals, performing computational fluid dynamics and radiative heating simulations, conducting experiments in shock tube facilities and validation of fundamental theoretical calculations.

In 2014, Aaron was awarded the NASA Exceptional Engineering Achievement Medal. He was recognised for his contribution towards measuring radiation levels encountered during high-speed entry into a simulated Martian atmosphere.

Aaron said that when he was younger, he never thought it was possible to work at NASA. “It is indeed humbling to receive such a prestigious award, particularly given the highly acclaimed people who have won the medal in the past. Also, it is a great honour to be able to represent Australia in aerospace at NASA”.

The awards kept coming for Aaron. In 2015, he was awarded NASA’s Software of the Year for NEQAIR, the H.J.E. Reid Award for best paper/report of the year from NASA Langley and the NASA Honor Award for Group Achievement and Exceptional Space Act Award from NASA Ames. 

In 2017, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) inducted and recognised Aaron as an Associate Fellow. The AIAA acknowledged that Aaron was inducted for: “Exemplifying extraordinary accomplishments and leadership in the global aerospace community, demonstrating a remarkable commitment to furthering the advancement of aerospace and technology and having performed important work which the AIAA is proud to recognise”. 

The College is incredibly proud of Aaron’s achievements so far and knows that this will not be the last we hear about him. He is an inspiration to the boys who are following him into the science field.