Paul A. Gelhausen

Co-founder and CTO, AVID LLC

Paul A. Gelhausen has been Chief Technical Officer since he co-founded AVID LLC in 2002.  With over 25 years of industry experience, Mr. Gelhausen is responsible for strategy, technology development and delivery of future aerospace vehicles and simultaneously pursues new analytical tools and methods for the advancement and analysis of aerospace technologies.  Under Mr. Gelhausen's guidance, AVID has created methods for the design and anlysis of aircraft specializing in Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV's).  Projects have spanned to include fixed wing aircraft, ducted fan aircraft, and biomimetic vehicles.  Design concepts and methodologies for low noise propellers, cooling fans, and wind turbine designs have also been developed.

Before founding AVID, Mr. Gelhausen worked for NASA. At Langley Research Center, he was a Senior Engineer and led the configuration design, aerodynamic design, and aerodynamic validation elements of the multi-center Mars Airplane Program.  At Ames Research Center, Mr. Gelhausen was vehicle development lead for Revolutionary Aerospace Systems and Concepts Program, Senior Engineer in the Systems Analysis Branch, Acting Assistant Chief of the Systems Analysis Branch, Lead for High Performance Aircraft Studies, and Co-Director of the ACSYNT Institute AirCraft SYNThesis tool.

Mr. Gelhausen has collaborated on and authored many publications.  In 1990, SAE awarded Mr. Gelhausen the Charles M. Manly Memorial Medal for best propulsion related paper. He received a Superior Accomplishment Award for Mars Flyer Study Team from NASA.  He was Technical Chairman of the 1993 Aircraft Design Systems and Operations Conference.  Mr. Gelhausen has served as a member of several AIAA Technical Committees.

Mr. Gelhausen received his B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Michigan, and his M.S. in Aerospace Sciences from Stanford University.