The aviation industry has set ambitious goals of reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 through a roadmap that includes improved flight operations and new aircraft powered by batteries, fuel cells, and biofuels. A limited understanding of these emerging technologies, however, has plagued their integration into propulsion architectures. Additionally, many implications stemming from introducing entire fleets of these aircraft on grid-energy infrastructure and communities below have yet to be thoroughly distilled. My research group - the Laboratory for Electric Aircraft Design and Sustainability (L.E.A.D.S) uses experimental and computational modeling of complex systems to understand the relationships between novel aerospace systems and the environment, particularly concerning energy and noise emissions. These research endeavors strategically position L.E.A.D.S to decode some of the technical challenges that emanate from the interactions between the critical sub-components, develop architectures that meet aircraft certification reliability specifications, and address the environmental and socioeconomic implications that impede progress toward sustainable aviation.