Charbel Farhat receives Guggenheim Medal for aeronautics research
Charbel Farhat, the Vivian Church Hoff Professor of Aircraft Structures and a professor of aeronautics and astronautics at Stanford University, has been awarded the 2026 Daniel Guggenheim Medal, one of the world’s highest honors in aeronautics.
Farhat’s research career has focused on aircraft aeroelasticity and other fluid-structure interaction problems involving flight, underwater, and ground-based systems. He is known for his work to advance the field toward higher-fidelity, physics-based simulation techniques – including, recently, machine learning approaches. The Guggenheim committee noted that his work has “transformed simulation capabilities and enabled new approaches to the design and optimization of civil aircraft.”
“To be recognized alongside individuals whose work has shaped the foundations and evolution of aerospace engineering is both humbling and profoundly meaningful to me. Many past recipients are pioneers whose contributions influenced not only the field at large, but also my own intellectual development and professional path,” Farhat said. “My work has been possible only because I have stood for a long time on the shoulders of remarkable students, collaborators, and colleagues. Their creativity, rigor, and commitment have continually pushed the work further than I could have achieved alone. I view this recognition as belonging as much to them as to me. It affirms the value of sustained collaboration, mentorship, and the pursuit of fundamental ideas grounded in real engineering challenges.”
Farhat is also a professor in the Institute for Computational and Mathematical Engineering. Among his many leadership roles at Stanford, he chaired the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics from 2008 to 2023 and directed the Stanford–King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology Center of Excellence for Aeronautics and Astronautics from 2014 to 2024.
“The Guggenheim Medal is a recognition of Professor Farhat as a leading scholar whose ideas have truly impacted aviation and aerospace engineering. We are immensely proud,” said Juan Alonso, the Vance D. and Arlene C. Coffman Professor and the James and Anna Marie Spilker Chair of the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics. “This recognition reinforces that our department is a leading institution where faculty and students can pursue fundamental research with large societal impact. Over the years, we’ve attracted some of the best researchers and educators in the world. Our students get to work with the best of the best, like Charbel, and leave Stanford prepared for careers in industry, academia, and government, and to help the nation and the world progress to new heights in aerospace.”
Stanford is among the institutions with the highest numbers of total Guggenheim recipients, alongside NASA and Boeing. Farhat is the eighth Stanford Engineering faculty member to receive the medal, tracing back to aeronautics pioneer William F. Durand in 1935. Professor Emeritus Stephen Tsai received the 2025 medal for his foundational contributions to the mechanics of composites.
The Guggenheim Medal has been awarded since 1929 to honor an individual who has made notable achievements in advancing the safety and practicality of aviation, beginning with Orville Wright. The medal is sponsored by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, SAE International, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and the Vertical Flight Society.
