21 Notable alumni of Higher Institute of Aeronautics and Space
Updated: May 29, 2026 EliteDegrees
Higher Institute of Aeronautics and Space is ranked #2,138 in the world and #83 in France by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 21 notable alumni from Higher Institute of Aeronautics and Space sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff. Many individuals affiliated with Higher Institute of Aeronautics and Space won Nobel Prizes for Peace, in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Economics.
1. Oussama Khatib
1950-. (aged 76)
computer scientist
engineer
university teacher
artificial intelligence researcher
Oussama Khatib is a roboticist and a professor of computer science at Stanford University, and a Fellow of the IEEE. He is credited with seminal work in areas ranging from robot motion planning and control, human-friendly robot design, to haptic interaction and human motion synthesis. His work's emphasis has been to develop theories, algorithms, and technologies, that control robot systems...
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2. Bernard Ziegler
1933-2021 (aged 88)
military flight engineer
engineer
aircraft pilot
Bernard Ziegler was a French pilot and engineer, who served in Airbus as senior vice president for engineering, well known for his evangelical zeal for the application of the fly-by-wire system in the Airbuses. He was the son of Airbus founder Henri Ziegler.
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3. Henry Potez
1891-1981 (aged 90)
aerospace engineer
businessperson
politician
Henry Potez was a French aircraft industrialist.
4. Jean Pierson
1940-2021 (aged 81)
industrialist
military flight engineer
Jean Pierson was a French aerospace engineer who served as the managing director and CEO of Airbus Industrie between 1985 and 1998. During his time as its leader, the company emerged as a global competitor to the then leader Boeing. In addition to advancing the Airbus A320 program he also set up the wide-bodied double-decker Airbus A380 program.
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5. Jean-Paul Herteman
1950-. (aged 76)
military flight engineer
engineer
businessperson
Jean-Paul Herteman is a French aerospace engineer, materials scientist and chief executive. He was CEO of Safran until April 2015, the French Aerospace engine & equipment manufacturer and chairman of both the French Aerospace Industries Association (GIFAS) and of the AeroSpace and Defence Industries Association of Europe(ASD). He is vice-chairman of the Conseil général de l'armement (General Council of Armament)...
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6. François Hussenot
1912-1951 (aged 39)
engineer
military flight engineer
François Hussenot was a French engineer, credited with the invention of one of the early forms of the flight data recorder.
7. Jean Louis Conneau
1880-1937 (aged 57)
aircraft pilot
military flight engineer
Jean Louis Conneau, better known by the pseudonym André Beaumont, was a pioneer French aviator, French Navy lieutenant, and flying boat manufacturer.
8. Marwan Lahoud
1966-. (aged 60)
military flight engineer
engineer
businessperson
Marwan Lahoud is a French-Lebanese weapons engineer who resides in France. He served as Deputy Chief Executive Officer for Strategy and Marketing for the Airbus Group until February 2017.
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9. Thomas Pesquet
1978-. (aged 48)
amateur radio operator
military flight engineer
aircraft pilot
engineer
astronaut
Thomas Gautier Pesquet is a French aerospace engineer, pilot, European Space Agency astronaut, actor, musician, and writer. He was selected by ESA as a candidate in May 2009, and successfully completed his basic training in November 2010. From November 2016 to June 2017, he was part of Expedition 50 and Expedition 51 on the International Space Station (ISS) as a...
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10. Marcel Dassault
1892-1986 (aged 94)
inventor
businessperson
entrepreneur
media proprietor
film producer
Marcel Dassault was a French engineer and industrialist who spent his career in aircraft manufacturing. He was also involved in politics, serving intermittently over more than three decades in both houses of the French Parliament from 1951 until his death in 1986.
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11. Henri Coandă
1886-1972 (aged 86)
physicist
military flight engineer
aircraft pilot
engineer
inventor
Henri Marie Coandă was a Romanian inventor, aerodynamics pioneer, and builder of an experimental aircraft, the Coandă-1910, which never flew. He invented a great number of devices, designed a "flying saucer" and discovered the Coandă effect of fluid dynamics.
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12. Mikhail Gurevich
1892-1976 (aged 84)
military flight engineer
engineer
inventor
aircraft pilot
Mikhail Iosifovich Gurevich was a Soviet aircraft designer who co-founded the Mikoyan-Gurevich military aviation bureau along with Artem Mikoyan. The bureau is famous for its fighter aircraft, rapid interceptors and multi-role combat aircraft which were staples of the Soviet Air Forces throughout the Cold War. The bureau designed 170 projects of which 94 were made in series. In total, 45,000...
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13. Sophie Adenot
1982-. (aged 44)
military aviator
helicopter pilot
engineer
test pilot
air force officer
Sophie Marie Laurence Adenot is a French engineer, helicopter pilot, and astronaut. She holds the rank of colonel in the French Air and Space Force and became France's first female helicopter test pilot in 2018. She was selected to join the European Astronaut Corps as part of the 2022 group. Her first space flight was in 2026, on SpaceX Crew-12,...
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14. Roger Béteille
1921-2019 (aged 98)
aerospace engineer
military flight engineer
Roger Béteille was a French aeronautical engineer and businessman who was associated with Airbus. Regarded as one of the founding fathers of the company, he is known for his contributions towards Airbus, which contributed towards the airline company's initial success. He also worked for Air France, Lufthansa, United, TWA and American Airlines.
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15. Henri Ziegler
1906-1998 (aged 92)
military flight engineer
engineer
French resistance fighter
Henri Ziegler CVO, CBE was one of the founders of Airbus and its first president.
16. Jean-François Clervoy
1958-. (aged 68)
military flight engineer
engineer
astronaut
Jean-François André Clervoy is a French engineer and a CNES and ESA astronaut. He is a veteran of three NASA Space Shuttle missions.
17. Guillaume Faury
1968-. (aged 58)
military flight engineer
chief executive officer
manager
Guillaume Faury is a French engineer and businessman. He is the chief executive officer (CEO) at the aerospace corporation Airbus SE and chairman of its civil aircraft division, Airbus SAS.
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18. Jean-Marie Bastien-Thiry
1927-1963 (aged 36)
military engineer
military flight engineer
Jean-Marie Bastien-Thiry was a French Air Force lieutenant colonel, military air-weaponry engineer and the creator of the Nord SS.10/SS.11 missiles. Bastien-Thiry and multiple colleagues attempted to assassinate French president Charles de Gaulle in the Petit-Clamart attack of 22 August 1962 in retaliation for de Gaulle's decision to accept Algerian independence. Bastien-Thiry remains the most recent person to be executed by...
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19. Bernard Ramanantsoa
1948-. (aged 78)
economist
Bernard Ramanantsoa was the Dean of HEC Paris between 1996 and 2015.
20. Serge Dassault
1925-2018 (aged 93)
military flight engineer
publisher
entrepreneur
engineer
business executive
Serge Dassault was a French engineer, businessman and politician. He was the chairman and chief executive officer of Dassault Group, and a conservative politician. According to Forbes, Dassault's net worth was estimated in 2016 at US$15 billion.
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21. Mostafa Mir-Salim
1947-. (aged 79)
university teacher
writer
politician
Mostafa Mir-Salim is an Iranian engineer and conservative politician. He is currently member of the Expediency Discernment Council. He was formerly a member of Islamic Consultative Assembly from 2020 to 2024.
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