Dr. Annick Dewald joins the Olin community as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Engineering. Learn more about Annick and her experience in this Q&A.
Meet Dr. Annick Dewald, Visiting Assistant Professor of Engineering.
Can you share a bit about your background and how you came to be at Olin?
Like many young aspiring engineers, I first was drawn to the field because I wanted to be an astronaut. I went to Smith College where I studied engineering at a small undergraduate focused institution like Olin. I then worked at Boeing Research and Technologies in Saint Louis, where I was a member of the flight vehicle demonstrator team and I had the opportunity to support flight testing for an electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. I then completed my PhD in Aeronautics and Astronautics at MIT.
I am currently a founding faculty member at Greenway. Greenway is a brand-new engineering college in Vermont that’s developing a new model for engineering education, not unlike what Olin did about 25 years ago. I came to be at Olin as a Visiting Assistant Professor to learn from the awesome curriculum ahead of Greenway’s curriculum development work in the coming years.
What inspired you to become an educator, and what impact do you hope to have on your students?
I was inspired to become an educator because of the transformative impact that representation had on me. As a queer woman, seeing a professor who looked like me during my undergraduate years showed me that there was space for people like me in engineering. I want to provide that same sense of belonging for students who may not traditionally see themselves reflected in this field.
My goal is to support students from backgrounds and identities that have historically been excluded from engineering, and help them find their place in the field. I also want to broaden who we think of as “engineers” by opening the door to a wider range of thinkers. Engineers are not just those who grew up excelling in math and science or tinkering on things in their garage, but also those who are curious about complex systems, those who care deeply about people, and those who want to solve meaningful problems in their communities and beyond.
Ultimately, I hope my students walk away not only with the technical skills of an engineer, but also with the confidence that their unique perspectives and experiences are not just welcome, but essential to create a better world.
Describe your research on solar-electric aircraft design and optimization.
My research set out to design a high-altitude, long-endurance solar-electric aircraft optimized for Earth observation missions. For this class of very challenging to build and operate aircraft, it quickly became clear that achieving a buildable, cost-effective design required system-level optimization. This is due to the strong couplings between the air vehicle, the science instruments, and the flight trajectory. By accounting for these interdependencies, I was able to identify the least costly aircraft capable of meeting mission requirements for different in situ and remote sensing applications.
One application I studied was monitoring Antarctic ice shelves, using a remote sensing technique called Interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) which allows for the measurement of very fine resolution changes in the ice surface (on the order of meters). Satellites can typically provide images only every few days at much coarser spatial resolution, but understanding the fracture mechanics of ice requires observations on the timescale of hours and at the resolution of meters. Our glaciologist collaborator Professor Brent Minchew had never had access to such data, and therefore, he could not fully specify the measurement requirements or the relative importance of different measurement attributes. This highlighted a key challenge: how to leverage optimization when stakeholder preferences are uncertain or ambiguous.
The main contribution of my dissertation was to address this challenge through a method I call “objective space exploration.” Instead of finding a single optimized solution, this process generates a set of valuable design options that span the range of possible trade-offs. These candidate systems then serve as a structured way to elicit stakeholder priorities, helping scientists and aircraft system engineers alike clarify what matters most when requirements and design objectives are not well defined.
Do you have a favorite moment in your career you can share?
One of my favorite moments in my career was seeing a high-altitude, long-endurance solar aircraft that I had been working on for years actually take flight. The project started back when I was a student in MIT’s flight vehicle design course, grew into my master’s thesis on a fleet of aircraft for climate missions, and then became the focus of my dissertation. I collaborated with the team at electra.aero, an electric aircraft startup based in Virginia, to utilize the optimization code I developed through my graduate work to size the demonstrator vehicle for the Antarctic monitoring mission identified as the most promising application for this class of aircraft in my graduate research.
In the summer of 2022, I was incredibly fortunate to lead a team composed mostly of undergraduate interns in the process of manufacturing and flight testing the vehicle, culminating in the successful first flight of the experimental aircraft Dawn, a 90-foot wingspan unmanned aircraft system (UAS). This was an incredibly valuable learning experience for me. I gained firsthand insight into the challenges of moving from design to prototype, learned how to lead and motivate a team through a challenging project on a short timeline, and came away with a deeper appreciation for what it takes to flight test an experimental aircraft.
What classes will you teach at Olin?
In the fall, I will be teaching Mechanics of Solids and Structures, where we will explore how load, stress, strain, and deformation are related as we analyze and design systems around us. I am also on the Design Nature teaching team, where I have the opportunity to collaborate with Olin faculty and participate in the first piece of Olin’s inspiring sequence of design courses.
What do you like to do for fun and/or in your free time?
I like to spend time outside, especially up in Vermont, given the beautiful landscapes. I enjoy outdoor activities like hiking, rollerblading, ice skating, and cross-country skiing. I also enjoy lifting weights, rock climbing, and line dancing.
Oliners can ask me about…?
My professional or academic experiences. What we are building at Greenway. Any of my personal interests outside of engineering. How to make a nutritious, tasty, and high-protein meal that isn’t just unseasoned chicken breast.
Oliners can teach me about…?
The key pieces of the Olin culture and curriculum that make Olin great. What you would build if you were building a new engineering program from scratch today. The best places to grab a tasty treat near campus.