Join us for ACT4Aero 2026
AI and Compute Technologies for Aerospace Conference
An exclusive, invite-only summit uniting pioneers in academia, government, and private industry to solve aerospace’s most critical operational challenges.
ACT4Aero is the DoD's premier conference on AI, autonomy, and computing for aerospace applications. Held annually at Stanford, it convenes experts from industry, academia, and government to explore cutting-edge technologies and accelerate their transition to operational use.
"The gap between groundbreaking technology and operational reality is the most significant barrier to progress in the aerospace industry."
ACT4Aero is the catalyst designed to close that gap. From March 31 - April 2 at the Stanford Computing and Data Science Building, we convene an exclusive group of operators, technologists, and investors with a singular mission: to accelerate the pipeline from concept to contract, ensuring the most advanced technologies get funded, developed, and into the hands of those who need them most.
Schedule
DownloadTuesday, March 31
Thresholds of Success
Col Jason Hansberger
Director, DAF Stanford AI Studio
Col Maryann “Yetti” Karlen
Commandant, USAF Test Pilot School
Col Dave “Maddog” Madsen
Commandant, USAF Weapons School
Strategic Horizons: Harnessing Emerging AI for National Competitiveness
Dr Charles Ball
CTO, Genesis Mission
Mission Driven Discovery: Closing the Loop Between S&T and T&E
Major General Scott Cain
Commander, Air Force Test Center
Opportunities for Physical AI
Maj John “Heater” Alora
Director of Operations, DAF Stanford AI Studio
Lt Col Daniel “Knots” Harp
Experimental Test Pilot, USAF
Dr Andrew Wissink
CREATE Air Vehicles Project Manager, US Army
Dr Luc Peterson
Physicist, LLNL
Lt Col Joshua “Phoenix” Strafaccia
Experimental Test Pilot, USAF
Problems Lightning Talks
Maj Nick “Bane” Caraballo
Director of Integration, Warfare Center
Dr Scott Nivison
Senior Research Scientist, AFRL
Modernizing Test & Acquisitions for the Physical AI Age
Lt Col Raven “Rost” LeClair
Test Pilot / Commander 370 FLTS, USAF
Honorable Dale Marks
Deputy Under Secretary of War for Acquisition & Sustainment, Department of War
Wednesday, April 1
Physical AI for Design and Simulation
Professor Juan Alonso
Department Chair, Stanford AA
Professor Charbel Farhat
Stanford AA
Dr Nathan Kutz
Director, Physics Informed AI, Autodesk Research
Physical AI for Trusted Autonomy
Professor Marco Pavone
Stanford AA
Dr Brian Ichter
Co-Founder, Physical Intelligence
Dr Han Park
VP of Artificial Intelligence Integration, Northrop Grumman
Dr Alessandro Pinto
Autonomy Assurance Lead, NASA JPL
Efficient Compute for Physical AI
Adj Professor Ali Keshavarzi
Stanford EE
Professor Tom Lee
Stanford
Professor Sayeef Salahuddin
UC Berkeley
Professor Thierry Tambe
Stanford EE
Tom Tomazin
Vice President of Engineering, NVIDIA
Thursday, April 2
Founders at the Frontier: Building Deep Tech for Aerospace & National Security
Dr Natalya Bailey
Founder, Squawk AI / Revolution Space
Dr Sertac Karaman
President and CTO, Tycho AI
Denis Mars
CEO, Apex Ultra
Dr Will Roper
CEO, Istari Digital
Dr Reza Zadeh
CEO, Matroid
Funding Deep Tech & National Security w/ VCs
Ernestine Fu
Co-Director, Stanford Frontier Technology Lab
AJ Bertone
Managing Partner, In-Q-Tel
Closing the Loop: How DoD Can Signal, Source, & Scale Emerging Technology
Capt Chris Dylewski
Chief of Staff, DAF Stanford AI Studio
Deidra Eberhardt
Acting Executive Director and Director, Atlas, Space Force
Ending Keynote
Senior Leader To Be Announced
Fireside Chat
Col Jason Hansberger
Director, DAF Stanford AI Studio
Senior Leader To Be Announced
Workshop Committee
John Alora
Director of Operations, Pilot
DAF-Stanford AI Studio
Jason Hansberger
Studio Director, Pilot
DAF-Stanford AI Studio
Juan Alonso
AA Dept, Chair
Stanford
Charbel Farhat
Professor
Stanford
Marco Pavone
Associate Professor
Stanford
Key Takeaways
Operators
Translate your most urgent needs directly to the technologists who build solutions.
Gain a tactical advantage by discovering novel applications of Al and autonomy.
Forge alliances with industry leaders and investors fueling your mission.
Technologists
Align your R&D with the highest-priority challenges communicated straight from the source.
Showcase your products to a curated audience of investors and government stakeholders.
Accelerate your pathway to scale by connecting with investors and acquisition experts.
Investors
Pinpoint specific operational gaps the government is most motivated to fund and solve.
Lower the risk of investment decisions by gaining insider knowledge of government acquisition pathways.
Evaluate a technology's potential by meeting both the problem-holders and solution-builders in one room.
Request an Invite
Attendance at ACT4Aero is complimentary but is strictly limited to invited guests. Registration is mandatory and must be completed through Stanford's Cvent system to confirm your place. Due to the curated nature of this event, space is extremely limited. To avoid disappointment, we urge you to request your invitation ASAP by using the form at the bottom of this page.
Parking Details
Parking is limited on the Stanford Campus. Details to secure permit parking are forthcoming.
Food Details
Additional details to come.
Invitation Details
Attendance at ACT4Aero is free of charge; however, space is limited and is solely for invited guests. Registration must be completed through Stanford's Cvent system to secure your spot. To request an invitation, contact us using this form.