Professor Hanson has been an international leader in the development of laser-based diagnostic methods for combustion and propulsion, and in the development of modern shock tube methods for accurate determination of chemical reaction rate parameters needed for modeling combustion and propulsion systems. He and his students have made several pioneering contributions that have impacted the pace of propulsion research and development worldwide. During his career at Stanford, Professor Hanson has successfully managed over 100 research contracts and grants, with a total value well over $50 million. He and his students have authored over 1300 publications.
Professor Hanson is a fellow of American Society of Mechanical Engineers, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and the Optical Society of America. He has received the Egerton Gold Medal and is an Inaugural Fellow of the Combustion Institute, and has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering. He is also an Inaugural Distinguished Fellow of the International Shock Wave Institute and the winner of the R. Soloukhin Medal from the Institute for Dynamics of Explosions and Reactive Systems. He is, perhaps, most happy about the recognition that his students have received for their publications, including Best Paper Awards from the AIAA Ground Test Conference, AIAA Propellant and Combustion Section, and the Combustion Institute Silver Medal. Recent awards include the 2023 Julius Springer Award for Applied Physics, a 2023 AIAA SciTech Outstanding Paper Award, and the selection as an Inaugural Distinguished Fellow from the The International Shock Wave Institute in 2022.