UC Davis Joins International Effort to Advance Urban Air Mobility Technology
October 8, 2025 — The University of California, Davis is making significant strides in the development of cutting-edge urban air mobility (UAM) technologies through its participation in a $9 million international research initiative. Spearheaded by Seoul National University and funded by the South Korean government, the Multi-Discipline Integrated UAM Core Technology Development Center is working on a comprehensive seven-year project aiming to transform UAM from concept to practical reality.
Key Goals and Research Focus
Since its inception in 2021, the center has been engaged in a multi-phase plan to develop seven core UAM technologies critical for the future of urban aviation: vertical landing, long-distance flight, distributed electric propulsion, motor driving/hybrid systems, autonomous flight, sensors, and noise reduction.
The first phase targeted the establishment of operating standards and urban requirements alongside the development of machine learning techniques for optimizing aircraft design—specifically for vehicles capable of vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL), as well as sustained cruising.
Professor Seongkyu Lee, a faculty member of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at UC Davis, recently joined the project to contribute his expertise in aeroacoustics, a vital area focused on understanding and mitigating noise—a key factor influencing public acceptance of UAM.
Breaking New Ground in Aeroacoustics
“Noise is a crucial issue for the adoption of urban air mobility,” said Professor Lee. “We need to understand the characteristics of the noise these vehicles produce, predict its intensity, and identify the physical mechanisms behind it.”
Lee focuses primarily on mid- and high-frequency tonal noises—sounds above 2,000 Hertz comparable to sirens or bird chirps—as well as high-frequency broadband noise, which spans a wide range of frequencies. This emphasis marks a departure from historic research that predominantly targeted low-frequency noise. His work is especially relevant for electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, which are anticipated to be central to future urban air transportation.
Utilizing advanced computational fluid dynamics (CFD) tools, including high-fidelity simulations and high-resolution grids, Lee’s group aims to identify noise sources of UAM vehicles and accurately estimate noise volumes. “We are the first team globally to successfully predict and understand mid- and high-frequency tonal and broadband noise at this level,” Lee noted. “Our research is pioneering in this underexplored field.”
Collaboration and Funding Opportunities
The international scope of this research center provides a valuable platform for collaboration between countries invested in propelling UAM technologies forward. For Professor Lee, participating in this collaboration also opens doors to new funding avenues amidst a challenging financial landscape for research in the U.S.
“With limited funding opportunities here, this grant enables us to sustain and accelerate our research,” he explained. “Our focus on rotary wing and propeller noise has been largely overlooked and this project is initiating important scientific advancements.”
Looking Ahead
As urban air mobility continues to gain momentum worldwide, the work at UC Davis and its global partners is instrumental in addressing the technological and societal challenges inherent in bringing aerial transportation to urban environments. The breakthroughs anticipated from this multi-faceted research endeavor hold promise for quieter, more efficient, and more widely accepted UAM systems in the near future.
For more information about UC Davis’s College of Engineering and ongoing research initiatives, visit engineering.ucdavis.edu.
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Jessica Heath
University of California, Davis College of Engineering
