Siena Whiteside

Siena Whiteside has worked as an aerospace engineer in the Aeronautics Systems Analysis Branch since 2018 with a focus on Advanced Air Mobility (AAM). The AAM mission is revolutionizing air mobility around metropolitan areas by enabling safe, quiet, affordable, and accessible air transportation systems for passengers and cargo. Siena’s work includes design and maturation of novel aircraft concepts, investigation of early-stage technologies applicable to AAM, and development of analysis methods to predict the performance of novel aircraft concepts and technologies. In accomplishing her work, Siena leads multidisciplinary research and development teams, collaborating with experts from across NASA, government, industry, and academia.

At present, Siena manages the Revolutionary Aviation Mobility sub-project in the Transformational Tools and Technologies project, and is the Principle Investigator for the Research Aircraft for eVTOL Enabling Technologies (RAVEN).

Links

• Research Aircraft for eVTOL Enabling techNologies (RAVEN)
• NASA Urban Air Mobility Reference Vehicles
• Langley Aerodrome 8 (LA-8) Aircraft
• Revolutionary Aviation Mobility Sub-Project within the Transformational Tools and Technologies (TTT) Project
• Flight Demonstrations and Capabilities (FDC) Project
• Revolutionary Vertical Lift Technology (RVLT) Project
• Convergent Aeronautics Solutions (CAS) Project
• Langley Emerging and Advancing Professionals (LEAP) Employee Resource Group
• NASA Internships
• NASA Langley Student Volunteer Program

Education/Professional Experience

• Aerospace Engineer, Aeronautics Systems Analysis Branch, NASA Langley Research Center, 2018-present
• Aerospace Engineer, Defence Engineering and Science Group Graduate Scheme, 2016-2017 (secondments: Eurofighter Typhoon, Hybrid Air Vehicles, MBDA, Rolls-Royce at National Composites Centre, Airbus A400M)
• MA MEng Aerospace & Aerothermal Engineering, University of Cambridge, 2011-2015

Flying Experience

Siena holds powered fixed wing and sailplane licenses, plus a few helicopter hours.

Hobbies/Interests
Sailboat racing, travel, aerial silks, mountain biking, hiking, camping, skiing, outdoors, food, friends.

Awards

• NASA Group Achievement Award, Mar 2023.
• 2021 Associate Administrator High Potential Award, Mar 2022.
• NASA Agency Innovation Mission Coin, Jan 2020.

Patents

• Electric VTOL Aircraft with Tilting Propellers and Lifting Propellers, US20240124134A1.
• Deflected Slip Stream Wing System with Coflow Jet Flow Control, US20230075112A1.
• Distributed Electric Propulsion Modular Wing Aircraft with Blown Wing and Extreme Flaps for VTOL and/or STOL Flight, US20210331791A1.

Publications

• S. K. S. Whiteside and B. L. Litherland, “Research Objectives and Conceptual Design of the NASA Revolutionary Vertical Lift Technology Project Tiltwing Validation Test,” NASA Acoustics Technical Working Group Meeting, 19-20 March 2024, Hampton, VA, https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20240002905.
• B. J. German, A. Jha, S. K. S. Whiteside, and J. R. Welstead, “Design and Programmatic Overview of the Research Aircraft for eVTOL Enabling techNologies (RAVEN) Activity,” AIAA Aviation Forum, 12-16 June 2023, San Diego, CA, https://arc.aiaa.org/doi/10.2514/6.2023-3924.
• B. P. Pollard, J. R. Welstead, and S. K. S. Whiteside, “Design of a Multi-Tiltrotor Concept Vehicle for Urban Air Mobility,” NASA Design Review Slides, 3 November 2023, Hampton, VA, https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20230007698.
• S. K. S. Whiteside and B. P. Pollard, “Conceptual Design of a Tiltduct Reference Vehicle for Urban Air Mobility,” Vertical Flight Society Aeromechanics for Advanced Vertical Flight Technical Meeting, 25-27 January 2022, San Jose, CA, https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20210025911.
• C. N. D. Sheridan, D. D. V. Pham, and S. K. S. Whiteside, “Evaluation of VSPAERO Analysis Capabilities for Conceptual Design of Aircraft with Propeller-Blown Wings,” AIAA Aviation Forum, 2-6 August 2021, Virtual Event, https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20210017397.
• S. K. S. Whiteside, B. P. Pollard, K. R. Antcliff, N. S. Zawodny, X. Fei, C. Silva, and G. L. Medina, “Design of a Tiltwing Concept Vehicle for Urban Air Mobility,” NASA Technical Memorandum, June 2021, NASA/TM–20210017971, https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20210017971.
• R. G. McSwain, S. C. Geuther, G. Howland, M. D. Patterson, S. K. S. Whiteside, D. D. North, “An Experimental Approach to a Rapid Propulsion and Aeronautics Concepts Testbed,” NASA Technical Memorandum, January 2020, NASA/TM–2020-220437, https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20200000698.
• B. P. Pollard, M. D. Patterson, and S. K. S. Whiteside, “A Combined Blade Element and Vortex Panel Method for Stacked Rotor Analysis,” AIAA Aviation Forum, 17-21 June 2019, Dallas, TX, https://arc.aiaa.org/doi/10.2514/6.2019-3004.
• S. K. S. Whiteside, K. R. Antcliff, L. W. Kohlman, and C. Silva, “Baseline Assumptions and Future Research Areas for Urban Air Mobility Vehicles,” Presentation Only, AIAA Aviation Forum, 17-21 June 2019, Dallas, TX, https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20190033155.
• K. R. Antcliff, S. K. S. Whiteside, L. W. Kohlman, and C. Silva, “Baseline Assumptions and Future Research Areas for Urban Air Mobility Vehicles,” AIAA SciTech Forum, 7-11 January 2019, San Diego, CA, https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20200002445.
• S. K. S. Whiteside, N. S. Zawodny, X. Fei, N. A. Pettingill, M. D. Patterson, and P. M. Rothhaar, “An Exploration of the Performance and Acoustic Characteristics of UAV-Scale Stacked Rotor Configurations,” AIAA SciTech Forum, 7-11 January 2019, San Diego, CA, https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20200002436.