Airbus Institute for Engineering Research (AIER)
About AIER
The Airbus Institute for Engineering Research (AIER) was originally envisioned by USC Trustee and Korean Air Chairman Dr. Y. H. Cho, and was established in 2004 with Airbus' initial contribution of $6 million to the USC endowment. AIER is managed by the USC Viterbi School of Engineering’s Office of Research. The program enables collaborative research among faculty and students in the engineering schools at Inha University, Korea Aerospace University (KAU), and the University of Southern California. The program has supported several innovative and highly impactful research projects over the past two decades, many of which are highlighted on the AIER Research page.
Our Partners
Board Members
Aaron Rubel
Airbus
University R&T Partnerships Manager, Airbus Americas
Sarah Lee
Airbus
Head of R&T Global Footprint International Operations
Gaurav Sukhatme
University of Southern California
Dean (Interim), Viterbi School of Engineering
Yannis Yortsos
University of Southern California
Former Dean, Viterbi School of Engineering
Mahta Moghaddam
University of Southern California
Professor, Electrical Engineering/Electrophysics
Sang-Woo Kim
Korean Aerospace University
Vice Director of KAU University-Industry Cooperation Foundation
Joo-Hyung Kim
Inha University
Dean, Div. of Research, Research & Business Foundation
Soo-Keun Lee
Korean Airlines
President, Korea Airport Service
Research
2022–2024
- Utilizing Structured Light to Enable Both 3D Probing of Turbulence and Resilient High-Capacity Communications Through TurbulenceAlan Willner, USC & Daeyoung Park, Inha
- Robust, Verified, and Trusted AI in AviationJyotirmoy Deshmukh, USC & Jae Hoon Jung, Korean Aerospace University
2020–2022
- Deep Image Deraining with Quantifiable UncertaintyAssad Oberai, USC & Byung Cheol Song, Inha
- Towards Terabit/sec High-Capacity Free-Space Optical Communication Links to Airplanes using Multiplexing of Orthogonal BeamsAlan Willner, USC & Daeyoung Park, Inha
2018–2020
- Towards Accurate Simulation Models for Resin Infusion of Aerospace Composite StructuresTimotei Centea, USC; Chengdu (Brian) Cho, Inha; Won Jong Choi, KAU; Steve Nutt, USC
2015–2018
- Optimization of OOA Manufacturing Processes for Aircraft Composite StructuresSteve Nutt, Daniel Kim, Timotei Centea, USC; Il Suek Koh, Inha University; Won Jong Choi, KAU
News
AIER holds Twentieth Annual Board Meeting
19 April 2024
The Airbus Institute for Engineering Research held its twentieth anniversary meeting in April 2024 at Inha University in Incheon, South Korea. Inha University was also celebrating its seventieth anniversary. The board members and delegates reviewed the progress of ongoing institute-funded research and held discussions about the institutes future plans.
Airbus Establishes Institute
Airbus has established a new institute at USC Viterbi to foster research and innovation in aerospace engineering. The institute aims to bring together experts from various fields to work on groundbreaking projects.
Airbus Research Projects
USC Viterbi and Airbus have collaborated on several research projects aimed at advancing aerospace technology. These projects focus on various aspects of aerospace engineering, including materials science, avionics, and propulsion systems.
Published on October 30th, 2026
Last updated on November 4th, 2026