Javier García-Heras Carretero
Professor Javier García-Heras Carretero
PhD in Aerospace Engineering (Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), 2014) and Associate Professor at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M). His research has historically focused on the 4D trajectory management paradigm for future Air Traffic Management (ATM). During his doctoral studies at UPM, he served as a Teaching Assistant and was an active member of the Air Navigation research group. Following his PhD, he built a career in industry and R&D. In 2014, he moved to the Netherlands to work at Lockheed Martin Commercial Flight Training, where he designed, developed, and integrated air navigation systems for Boeing simulators. He returned to Spain in 2016 to join CRIDA A.I.E. as an Air Traffic Management (ATM) R&D Engineer.
He joined the UC3M Aerospace Engineering Group in 2017 and was appointed Associate Professor in February 2025. He currently serves as the Director of the Master's in Aeronautical Engineering program. In this role, he oversees academic quality and student guidance while coordinating key MSc courses, such as Elements of Critical Software, and BSc courses, including Onboard System Design. He is also an active member of INCOSE (International Council on Systems Engineering) and RSEF (Real Sociedad Española de Física).
He leads a research line focused on Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Sustainable Aviation within the Aircraft Operations Lab. His recent work integrates Deep Learning techniques (CNNs, LSTMs) to solve critical challenges in Air Traffic Management and Environmental Mitigation. This includes developing robust models for contrail detection and predicting severe weather impacts on air traffic flow. His research aims to enhance the predictability and eco-efficiency of flight trajectories and is validated through high-impact publications. He is currently co-supervising several PhD students on these topics.
He has established a strong track record of high-impact publications in top-tier JCR-indexed journals and international conferences. Additionally, he maintains continuous participation in competitive research frameworks (such as Horizon Europe and SESAR) and manages a broad portfolio of industrial contracts with partners like Boeing and Airbus. He is also a Co-founder of the UC3M spin-off AI-METHODS, dedicated to applying AI to improve meteorological information for aviation.