Sustainable aviation fuels and technologies: can aviation go green?

Graham Webb has been the chief sustainability officer and vice president of the advanced commercial engine programs at Pratt & Whitney since February 2023. In this role, Webb leads the development and execution of Pratt & Whitney’s propulsion technology and product roadmaps in partnership with government, academia, and industrial partners, while also communicating Pratt & Whitney’s capabilities and achievements to key stakeholders. He is a current board member of the Air Transport Action Group (ATAG), the National Academy of Engineering, Science, and Medicine Aeronautics Research and Technology Roundtable (ARTR), and the industry advisory board of the university of Michigan aerospace engineering. Webb holds a bachelor’s degree in ceramic engineering, a master’s degree in metallurgical engineering, and a doctoral degree in materials science and mechanics, all from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Phill Godfrey has been the chief sustainability officer (CSO) at Collins Aerospace, an RTX business, since April 2024. In this role he is responsible for leading the execution of sustainable strategy across Collins’ six strategic business units, implementing sustainable technology roadmap, engaging with customers, policymakers, and partners across the industry, and working to embed sustainable practices within Collins’ operations and supply chain. He also represents Collins on the RTX environmental, social, and governance committee. Over the course of nearly 30 years in the aerospace industry, Godfrey had different managerial roles. Most recently, he served as Collins’ director of sustainability strategy, charged with developing Collins-wide sustainability strategies for stakeholder engagement. Prior to that, he held positions of increasing responsibility across multiple Collins businesses, including actuation, engine controls, and aftermarket. Godfrey has been recognized by the International Aerospace Environmental Group (IAEG) for creating and leading international teams working towards voluntary sustainability standards in the aerospace industry supply chain. He holds a bachelor’s degree in physics and a master’s degree in manufacturing systems from the University of Nottingham.

Steven Barrett has been the regius professor of engineering at Cambridge University since 2024. Prior this his current role, he was H.N. slater professor and head of the department of aeronautics and astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He was also director of the MIT laboratory for aviation and the environment from 2012 until 2024. Before joining MIT in 2010, Barrett was a lecturer at Cambridge University's engineering department, where he completed his undergraduate and graduate degrees. His research focuses on helping the aviation industry achieve zero environmental impacts, including topics such as low emissions propulsion, contrail avoidance, and evaluating the sustainability of alternative aviation fuel options.

Julie Marks has been the executive director of the environment and energy office at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) since 2024. As executive director, she leads the development of aviation environmental and energy policies, goals, and priorities, and oversees research, engineering and development projects and initiatives. Marks has served the agency for 27 years and held numerous positions within the FAA. Between 2020 and 2024, Marks served as the office’s deputy director. Her other leadership roles within FAA included serving as the deputy director of the safety and integration division in the FAA unmanned aircraft systems integration office where she facilitated solutions for enabling immediate unmanned operations within the existing regulatory framework. She also served as the FAA community involvement manager for airspace projects between 2016 and 2018 which was the agency’s focal point for community engagement activities associated with airspace projects. Prior to joining the FAA, Marks worked as a private consultant on aviation air quality issues and energy model development.

Dorothy Reimold has been the vice president for civil aviation at the Aerospace Industry Association (AIA) since August 2023. Before, she was deputy vice president for Flight Program Operations (FPO) for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), where she was responsible for the agency’s fleet of aircraft, aviation safety inspector training, flight inspection across the National Airspace System (NAS) and at department of defense bases around the world. She has held leadership roles in the FAA’s office of aviation safety, serving as the acting deputy associate administrator and FAA’s executive lead for 5G C-band implementation in the U.S.. She also served as the deputy director for policy and innovation in the FAA’s aircraft certification service, where she focused on U.S. technology advances through her leadership of the agency’s chief scientists and the establishment of the center for emerging concepts and innovation. Reimold also served as the director of strategic operations for the FAA’s office of commercial space transportation. Previously, she served as the acting FAA assistant administrator and deputy assistant administrator for international aviation. Before returning to the FAA in 2016, Reimold worked for the international air transport association, MITRE’s center for advanced aviation system development, and the Martin Marietta corporation. Reimold holds a master's in management and leadership and has studied at the U.S. federal executive institute in Charlottesville, Virginia.