Purdue’s high-speed propulsion lab achieves internationally recognized quality management certification

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The High-Speed Propulsion Lab (ZL9) at Maurice J. Zucrow Laboratories has become the first research facility at Purdue University to earn the International Organization for Standardization’s (ISO) 9001 standard for quality management systems certification, awarded to the facility by BSI.

Previously granted to only about 50 other organizations affiliated with a U.S. university, this globally recognized certification enables the lab to more easily collaborate with partners in the highly regulated defense and aerospace industries.

The standard requires certified organizations to adopt a quality management system (QMS) — a collection of policies and procedures that help meet regulations and establish customer trust.

“This milestone reflects Purdue’s commitment to advancing high-impact research through strong partnerships with industry,” said Dan DeLaurentis, Purdue’s executive vice president for research. “ISO 9001 certification demonstrates ZL9’s commitment to quality while enhancing its ability to support critical aerospace and defense initiatives that strengthen our nation’s technological leadership.”

Purdue’s Office of Audit, Enterprise Risk and Operational Resilience led ZL9’s ISO 9001 certification. The effort focused on bolstering operational excellence and positioning Purdue as a trusted, industry-ready research partner.

To achieve certification, the Operational Resilience team built a QMS for ZL9 from the ground up. Designing the QMS required documenting key operational and support processes, establishing performance metrics, implementing document controls, and preparing for both internal and external audits.

Dimitrios Peroulis, Purdue’s senior vice president for partnerships and online, said the decision to pursue the certification was driven by a need to demonstrate evidence-based, repeatable operating procedures within highly regulated environments.

“The value of ISO 9001 extends far beyond compliance. It creates a foundation for continuous improvement, strengthens organizational accountability and helps ensure that quality is embedded in how we work every day,” Peroulis said. “Those benefits position Purdue to better serve sponsors, industry collaborators and the broader research community.”

ZL9, which first opened in 2024, is the latest addition to the 24-acre Zucrow Labs campus. Zucrow, the world’s largest academic propulsion laboratory, supports innovative research in combustion, turbines and compressors, energetic materials, hypersonics, aerodynamics, and fluid mechanics. ZL9 features state-of-the-art testing capabilities for rocket and high-speed air-breathing propulsion.

“We’ve earned the trust of numerous industry and government partners over the last 78 years,” said Robert Lucht, the Ralph and Bettye Bailey Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering and director of Zucrow Labs. “However, this third-party certification puts it into writing. Zucrow’s ZL9 is a secure facility that can provide the assurance of quality at every phase of the research and development process.”

In addition to the certification itself, the project established a scalable framework that can be extended to other Purdue laboratories and facilities, supporting the university’s broader commitment to operational excellence and industry engagement. Plans are currently underway for at least three more College of Engineering labs to receive the certification.

The advantages also extend to faculty, staff and students. Building on Zucrow’s and Purdue’s strong research foundation, ISO 9001 certification opens additional avenues for researchers to collaborate with the private sector and apply their innovations to commercial technologies. Students benefit from increased opportunities to contribute to industry projects that strengthen their skills and help jump-start future careers.

“When lab facilities operate at this level of quality and consistency, the benefits reach every part of the research ecosystem,” DeLaurentis said. “This certification is an important acknowledgment of the standards that have always guided Purdue’s research excellence, ensuring that the groundbreaking work taking place in our labs can continue to attract new partnerships and positively impact society.”

ISO is an independent, nongovernmental organization that develops international standards to ensure the safety and quality of products and services. ZL9 received its ISO 9001 certification through BSI, one of the world’s largest certification bodies that trains and certifies organizations in a variety of standards across sectors.

“When organizations invest in the quality of their management, it can help them boost their performance and better meet expectations. Achieving ISO 9001 certification highlights Zucrow’s commitment to providing industry and stakeholders with the highest standard in quality management,” said Jessica Patel, senior vice president of Americas assurance at BSI. “We congratulate the laboratory and Purdue University on this significant achievement and are proud to support their journey toward continuous improvement and robust organizational accountability.”

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a research institution ranked among the top 10 public universities in the United States. More than 106,000 students study at Purdue across multiple campuses, including more than 57,000 at our main campus locations in West Lafayette and Indianapolis. As a land-grant university committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition 14 years in a row, enabling more students than ever to graduate debt-free.