Steven Barrett, the H.N. Slater Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics, has been named the new head of the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AeroAstro), effective Nov. 1.

“Professor Barrett is incredibly well-suited to serve as leader of the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Having served as associate department head since 2021 and interim department head for the past five months, he has demonstrated a commitment to the AeroAstro community,” says Anantha Chandrakasan, dean of the MIT School of Engineering and the Vannevar Bush Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. “He is a dedicated educator and brilliant researcher. I am looking forward to working closely with him in this new role.”

As director of the MIT Laboratory for Aviation and the Environment, Barrett and his team study the impact aviation has on the environment. He has developed a number of solutions to mitigate the impact aviation has on air quality, climate, and noise pollution. The overall goal of his research is to help develop technologies that eliminate the environmental impact of aviation.

As associate department head, Barrett focused on AeroAstro’s graduate and undergraduate education. In addition to developing programs that aim to increase funding for graduate students, Barrett contributed to the creation of the AeroAstro HBCU Partnership Program. He also co-led the development of the department’s digital education strategy, which aims to bring aerospace education to more people across the world.