Sultan is the Director of the Office of Research and Engineering at the US National Transportation Safety Board. The Office of Research and Engineering is an investigative office providing scientific and technical expertise for NTSB accident investigations in all modes of transportation. The office, which includes four divisions and one program area, has world-class forensic capabilities to recover critical data from severely damaged recorders as well as expert multidisciplinary engineering and scientific analyses to determine if material or structural performance is related to the cause or severity of an accident. The Office conducts safety research, generates periodic statistical reviews of aviation accidents, conducts readouts of vehicle recorders and other electronic devices, conducts materials failure analysis and fire investigations, determines vehicle performance, develops animations, and provides medical and toxicology expertise for investigations in all modes. Prior to joining NTSB, Sultan had 26 years of experience at NASA where his work focused on aviation safety and the development and transfer for national implementation of advanced air traffic control technologies. Most recently he served as director of NASA’s Airspace Operations and Safety Program. While at NASA, Sultan oversaw cross-functional teams across four research centers, leading advanced work in aviation safety, predictive safety analytics, autonomy, airspace operations, and the integration of emerging technologies like advanced air mobility and uncrewed aircraft systems. He spearheaded NASA’s “Sky for All” midcentury vision to create scalable, adaptive systems for an increasingly complex national airspace. Akbar also played a key role in aviation collaboration, co-leading NASA–FAA Research Transition Teams to move major technologies into FAA implementation and representing NASA on multiple national aviation safety and advisory committees. Sultan is an associate fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and a fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society. He earned two bachelor’s degrees from University of California, Davis in mechanical engineering and aeronautical science and a master’s degree in aerospace engineering from San Jose State University.