The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) last Thursday announced the recipients of its 2024 AIAA Premier Awards. Paul Nielsen(opens in new window), director and CEO of the Software Engineering Institute(opens in new window) (SEI), received the AIAA Distinguished Service Award.

The AIAA is a professional society for the aerospace engineering community. Founded in 1963, the AIAA has about 30,000 members. Its Distinguished Service Award “recognizes an individual member who has provided distinguished service to the institute over a period of years,” according to the organization’s website(opens in new window). AIAA gave Nielsen this year’s honor for “outstanding and distinguished leadership and service to AIAA and to the aerospace profession over the past four decades.”

Nielsen has led the SEI since 2004. Before joining the SEI, he served in the U.S. Air Force, retiring as a major general and commander of the Air Force Research Laboratory after 32 years of distinguished service. Nielsen is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering and a fellow of the AIAA, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and the International Council on Systems Engineering.

“I’m honored to receive the AIAA award for distinguished service,” said Nielsen. “Participation and leadership in professional societies like AIAA is a way many of my colleagues at the SEI have made and continue to make significant contributions to their fields.”