Abhinav Sharma

Engineering what’s next.For defense and beyond.

I’m Abhinav Sharma, a founder focused on unmanned and autonomous systems and dual-use innovation. My experience spans aircraft design, government R&D, engineering software, and commercial customer development.

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Abhinav Sharma
  • Aerospace PhD, University of Michigan
  • MBA candidate, Berkeley Haas
  • Government R&D · Commercial aerospace

Led proposals that secured approximately $1.45M in NASA and Army R&D awards.

I assembled a six-person industry–academic team, guided an Army STTR program from Phase I to Phase II, and developed engineering software delivered to Army Research Laboratory. I also brought in two new commercial customers that generated approximately $100K in revenue.

Prior work at Continuum Dynamics, in collaboration with University of Michigan researchers on the Army program.

Selected work

Government, commercial, and doctoral work

Continuum Dynamics and University of Michigan · U.S. Army STTR research program · Phase I and II

Designing aircraft that change shape in flight

Program leadership · Optimization software

The problemThe Army STTR explored Class 1–2 uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) with wings that change shape in flight. We developed software to evaluate how wing shape affects airflow and structural loads, helping researchers identify promising designs.

What we learnedDiscussions with Army personnel showed that the aircraft’s flight path—its trajectory—also needed to be considered. That insight shaped Phase II: optimizing wing design and flight trajectory together.

What I led and deliveredI led proposal development end to end and directed the six-person industry–academic team through the Army STTR program’s progression from Phase I to Phase II. I also developed a Python optimization framework delivered to Army Research Laboratory.

Read the project details

I coordinated responsibilities and worked within intellectual-property constraints with University of Michigan collaborators. The university team also delivered separate software to Army Research Laboratory.

The program progressed from an approximately $173K Phase I to an approximately $1.15M Phase II.

Supporting evidence

Phase I awardPhase II awardAIAA Aviation 2025 paper

AI-generated illustration of a morphing UAV with faint outlines of alternative wing configurations along a dashed orange flight path.
AI-generated concept illustration of a morphing-wing aircraft. The project deliverable was aircraft design and optimization software.

Continuum Dynamics · NASA SBIR Phase I

Designing airframes and flight controls together

Technical proposal · Aircraft design research

I led the technical proposal for an approximately $125K NASA SBIR award and carried out research on optimizing a distributed-electric-propulsion aircraft’s airframe and flight controls together. The work became a first-author AIAA SciTech paper with Jeffrey Keller and Joaquim Martins.

Supporting evidence

NASA SBIR awardAIAA SciTech 2023 paper

AI-generated illustration of an aircraft on approach, with eight electric propellers along the leading edge of the wing and white lines tracing the airflow over it.
AI-generated illustration of a distributed electric propulsion concept, not a specific aircraft.

Continuum Dynamics · Advanced air mobility

Winning new engineering customers

Customer development · Engineering delivery

Through networking and direct outreach, I brought in two new customers for aircraft design and performance analysis, generating approximately $100K in revenue. I also delivered engineering analyses for clients developing advanced aircraft configurations.

AI-generated illustration of a six-propeller aircraft whose wing tilts as it transitions from hover to forward flight, with lines tracing the airflow over the wing.
AI-generated illustration of a tiltwing concept, not a specific aircraft. The wing rotates between hovering and forward flight.

University of Michigan · Doctoral research

Modeling helicopter operations at sea

Doctoral research · Simulation development

I developed a simulation of helicopter approach and landing on a moving ship deck, bringing together airwake, deck motion, flight dynamics, controls, landing gear, and ground effect. I applied it to UH-60A shipboard operations and published the research with Ashwani Padthe and Peretz Friedmann.

Supporting evidence

Journal of Aircraft paper

AI-generated illustration of a UH-60 helicopter hovering above the stern flight deck of a moving ship, seen from the hangar.
AI-generated illustration of a UH-60 over a moving flight deck. The UH-60A is the aircraft I modeled.

Current focus

Understanding the need is part of the engineering.

I’m focused on unmanned and autonomous systems for defense and commercial use, and the practical questions that shape their adoption: what users need, how a system fits into existing workflows, and who makes the decision to acquire it.

My engineering experience taught me to work across disciplines. Customer conversations showed me when to revisit the problem itself. At Haas, I’m studying how technology is funded, acquired, and put to use.

Research

Selected papers

All publications on Google Scholar