Without a doubt, the National Institute for Aviation Research is both a leader and a partner in local and global industry. Since our inception in 1985, we have made a name for ourselves as one of the few state-of-the art aviation research centers in the United States, recognized for our contributions to aviation safety and performance.

Being a part of Wichita State University gives NIAR a distinct advantage. As a unit within the administrative structure of the university, NIAR reports to the Office of Academic Affairs and Research through the associate provost. This gives us an excellent academic connection from which to draw the most outstanding aviation researchers.

NIAR has another advantage over the competition: location, location, location. We are situated in Wichita, Kansas, a city recognized as the "Air Capital of the World." From this position, NIAR integrates university, government and business entities in cooperative efforts to advance technologies for the aviation industry.

The Institute benefits from the talent of more than 50 professionals with PhDs, 25 with master's degrees and 110 with bachelor's degrees. With a full-time team of more than 200, plus nearly 150 undergraduate and graduate research assistants, NIAR is staffed to meet the changing needs of aviation and non-aviation organizations.

NIAR is also proud to hold three FAA Center of Excellence designations: the Center of Excellence for General Aviation Research (CGAR), the Airworthiness Assurance Center of Excellence (AACE) and the Center of Excellence for Composites and Advanced Materials (CECAM). Other government organizations have also designated NIAR as a research hub. NASA sponsors the National Center for Advanced Materials Performance (NCAMP), located within NIAR, and the National Science Foundation has named WSU/NIAR as a Center for Friction Stir Processing (CFSP). NIAR is also supported by the Kansas Technology Enterprise Corporation (KTEC) as a Center of Excellence.

With these honors, NIAR has shown itself undeniably qualified to perform in a number of areas. Our 135,000 square-foot facility is home to more than a dozen labs that provide research, testing, design and certification services in advanced joining and processing, aerodynamics, aging aircraft, CAD/CAM, composites and advanced materials, crash dynamics, environmental testing, fatigue and fracture, full-scale structural testing, human factors, structures and virtual reality. Other labs offer support in calibration and quality, computational mechanics, information technology, visual technology and research machining services to keep our primary labs running smoothly.