Nacer Chahat
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University of Rennes 1 (MSc)
University of Rennes 1 (PhD)
Researcher
Nacer Chahat | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Nacer E. Chahat |
| Education | École supérieure d'ingénieurs de Rennes (MSc) University of Rennes 1 (MSc) University of Rennes 1 (PhD) |
| Occupations | Engineer Researcher |
| Organization | National Aeronautics and Space Administration |
| Known for | |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory |
| Thesis | Antenna, propagation and interaction with the human body for body-centric wireless communications at microwaves and millimeter waves (2012) |
Nacer E. Chahat is a French-American engineer and researcher at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Chahat was born in Angers, France to a family of Algerian descent.[1] He was educated at Palissy High School.[2] He obtained his master's degrees in electrical engineering from École supérieure d'ingénieurs de Rennes|Ecole Supérieure d'Ingénieurs de Rennes (ESIR) and in telecommunication from the Institute of Electronics and Telecommunications of Rennes (IETR), University of Rennes 1 in 2009.[3][2] He completed his Ph.D. in signal processing and telecommunications at the IETR, University of Rennes 1, in 2012.[3][4]
Career
Chahat has been associated with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), since 2013.[3][1] Initially, he joined as a Microwave/Antenna Engineer and later took on the roles of Technical Section Staff and Product Delivery Manager in 2017.[5] He became SWOT Payload System engineer in 2019.[6]
At NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Chahat has contributed to several projects, including the Mars Helicopter, Mars 2020, SWOT, Europa Clipper, Mars Cube One, RaInCube, and others.[6]
On April 19, 2021, Chahat was part of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory team that successfully made Ingenuity, the first powered-controlled aircraft to fly on another planet.[7]
In 2022, Chahat was named an IEEE Fellow, recognized for his contributions to spacecraft antennas and propagation, and became one of the youngest fellows of IEEE.[3]
Research
Chahat specializes in antenna design and electromagnetic interference and compatibility (EMI/EMC) analysis for space missions.[8] He also works across a wide range of frequencies, from UHF to THz, applied in communications, RADAR, imaging systems, satellite communications antennas, wearable and flexible antennas, and antennas for remote sensing and radio astronomy.[8]
Chahat's notable contributions to NASA missions include the design of the Raincube Ka-band deployable mesh reflector, the Mars Cube One X-band antennas, the Europa lander antenna, and communication tools for the Mars Helicopter mission.[8][9]
Awards and recognition
- 2015: Prix Bretagne Jeune Chercheur[10]
- 2017: The IEEE Sergei A. Schelkunoff Award[11]
- 2017: The Lew Allen Award for Excellence[12]
- 2018: George Herzl Award[6]
- 2018: The Engineers' Council Future Technology Leader Award[13]
- 2019: JARS Best Paper Award for Photo-Optical Instrumentation and Design[14]
- 2021: IET Dr. Sudhalar Rao Award[13]
- 2022: IEEE Fellow[15]
- 2022: National Space Society (NSS) Award[6]
- 2022: IEEE Spectrum Emerging Technology Award[6]
- 2022: Robert J. Collier Trophy[6]
- 2022: National Air & Space Museum Collins Award[6]
- 2022: Rennais of the Year[16]
- 2023: AIAA Associate Fellow[17]
- 2024: IET Fellow[18]
- 2024: NASA's Exceptional Public Achievement Medal[18]
- 2025: Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers[19]