Announcing the ICNS 2026 Best of Conference, Track and Student Paper awards, recognizing excellence in aviation research and innovation.
Best Professional Papers
Best of Conference Paper Award
Track 4. Communications and Security
Enhancing Future CNS-ATM Resilience Through Pilot-Centric Mitigation of Cyber Deception
Nathan Johnson, Krishna Sampigethaya, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Prescott, AZ, USA
Best of Track Paper Awards
Track 1. Air Traffic Management (ATM)
Air Traffic Control Intervention Timing Analysis in Support of Uncrewed Aircraft Systems
Laura Bickmeier, MIT Lincoln Laboratory, Lexington, MA, USA
Track 2. Operational Efficiency and Special Topics
Impact of VoIP‑Induced Latency on Controller–Pilot Communication Dynamics
Dieter Eier, Frequentis USA Inc, Columbia, MD, USA; Wolfgang Kampichler, Frequentis AG Vienna, Austria
Track 3. Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning
Impact of GNSS Signal Loss on UAV Trajectory Prediction with Multi-Modal Deep Learning Models
Mussab Abdelsalam, Issam Boukabou, Rania Amin, Ashwin Devanga, Tingjun Lei, and Naima Kaabouch, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND, USA
Track 4. Communications and Security
Enhancing Future CNS-ATM Resilience Through Pilot-Centric Mitigation of Cyber Deception
Nathan Johnson, Krishna Sampigethaya, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Prescott, AZ, USA
Track 5. Navigation, Surveillance, and Special Topics
Optimal Fault-Tolerant Ground-Based Radar Placement for AAM Surveillance
Leonardo Milone, Flavia Causa, Giancarmine Fasano, University of Naples Federico II Naples, Italy; Luca Manica, Collins Aerospace, Trento, Italy; Giacomo Gentile, Collins Aerospace Rome, Italy; Michael Dubois, Collins Aerospace, Boston, MA, USA
Track 6. Unmanned Aircraft Systems, UAS Traffic Management, and Advanced Air Mobility
Quantifying Security Induced Overhead in Vision Based UAS Traffic Monitoring Pipelines
Fadjimata I. Anaroua, Bryan Watson, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, FL, USA; Radu F. Babiceanu, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI, USA
Best Student Papers
1st Place
Integrated CNS Infrastructure Planning for Urban Air Mobility: A Simulation and Stakeholder-Informed Study
Faizana Naeem, Volker Gollnick, Institute for Air Transportation Systems, Hamburg University of Technology, Germany
2nd Place
A Protocol-Aware AI Framework for Securing CPDLC Communications
Cassidy Gorman, Amir Toliyat, Maryam Vatankhah, Christopher Fuller, Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology, USA
3rd Place
Real-Time Flight Delay Prediction Using Integrated Machine Learning and Meteorological Intelligence for CNS/ATM Decision Support
Abiola Olayinka Ajala, Raj Bariya, Morgan State University, USA