Mark Noftz, a doctoral candidate in Purdue University’s School of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AAE), has been awarded a prestigious Fulbright U.S. Student Program grant to conduct research in Australia on hypersonic vehicle intakes. 

Noftz’s project, “Analysis of High-Speed Intakes Under High Enthalpies,” focuses on the behavior and optimization of air-breathing inlet systems in hypersonic flow conditions—an area of increasing strategic importance in global aerospace development.

Australia is among the most competitive destinations for Fulbright research, with an award rate of approximately 8 percent this year. Noftz’s selection underscores both the significance of his proposed research and the strength of his academic preparation at Purdue. 

“I absolutely believe Purdue played a vital role in strengthening my application,” said Noftz. “The research I have conducted under the mentorship of Professor Joseph Jewell has been instrumental—particularly our work that resulted in a published patent for an advanced intake design, developed in collaboration with the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory.”

In addition to his research achievements, Noftz received critical guidance from Purdue’s National and International Scholarships Office (NISO) and was awarded the Bilsland Dissertation Fellowship by AAE. This fellowship provided dedicated time to advance his dissertation work. Noftz was also recognized with a Best Student Presentation Award for his work—an early indicator of the impact his research is already having within the international hypersonics community. 

Noftz’s upcoming work in Australia reflects Purdue’s continued global engagement in high-impact aerospace research and its commitment to developing the next generation of engineering leaders.