Members
Principal Investigator
Graduate Students
Fayleon Lin
Fayleon is an AeroAstro PhD. student. He did his undergraduate studies at Johns Hopkins University (2023), majoring in Mechanical Engineering and Mathematics. During his time there, he worked with Prof. Joseph Katz and Prof. Rui Ni, and acquired some experience in particle image velocimetry (PIV), holography, and non-reactive fluid mechanics. In the APG, he is currently working on a project that involves using PIV to track the flow field around an electrical discharge to better understand how the flow around the discharge might affect it. In his free time, he likes to draw, play Pokemon Go, fold origami with OrigaMIT, spin staff with MIT Spinning Arts Club, and play Minecraft until 2am with his friends from undergrad… (totally not the reason why he hates 9 am classes).
Lanie McKinney
Lanie is an AeroAstro PhD student. She is originally from Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she attended the University of Tulsa earning dual BS degrees in Physics and Applied Mathematics (2022). She received her SM degree from MIT (2023). Her research interests are directed towards developing non-thermal plasma technologies that engender future space exploration. She is currently working on modeling and building a proof-of concept plasma-assisted CO2 conversion reactor for applications to Mars ISRU/life-support and Earth-based carbon capture technology. In addition, she is a recipient of the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship in Plasma physics. In her free time, Lanie enjoys playing lacrosse, weightlifting, taking night-sky photos, and writing music.
Raphaël Dijoud
Raphaël is an AeroAstro PhD student. He came from the Centrale Supélec engineering school in Paris, France. He joined the APG in 2021, earned his SM in 2023, and started research on plasma-assisted combustion for aircraft applications. His research interests are numerical modeling of complex physical phenomena requiring a multi-fields approach. In particular, he is motivated in improving combustion processes and thermal management in aerospace propulsion. He is currently working on non-thermal plasmas, and chemical-fluid interactions in electric discharges. He has previously worked in aerospace thermal management in various structures, including the start-up Blue Spirit Aero, the aircraft engines manufacturer Safran, and at the French National Research Center.
Samuel Austin
Sam is an AeroAstro PhD student working jointly in the APG and the Aerospace Computational Design Laboratory (ACDL). He holds bachelor's and master's degrees in aerospace engineering also from MIT (2020 and 2022). His research interests are in the computational modeling of aircraft triggered lightning and its direct effects, including sparking and ignition hazards. Previously, he has investigated physics-based approaches to aircraft zoning and the extension of numerical zoning tools to unconventional aircraft. He has previously worked for Northrop Grumman, SpaceX, and Impulse Space.
Sankarsh Rao
Sankarsh is an AeroAstro PhD. student. He is from Austin, TX and received a BS in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. His current research involves experiments that study nanosecond repetitively pulsed discharges (NRPDs) applied to combustion environments to better understand how plasmas affect combustion and vice versa. He is motivated by improving aerospace propulsion systems and has experience working on propulsion & fluids systems at Blue Origin and Raytheon. Personal interests include wrestling/grappling sports, eating Texas-sized meals, and playing jazz guitar :).
Nathanael Jenkins
Nathanael is an AeroAstro PhD student from Imperial College London, where he earned his Bachelor's and Master's degrees. With the help of supercomputers in the UK and the USA, he is developing a computational model for the ’swept stroke’ phase of aircraft lightning strikes. A modelling and simulation aficionado, he has previously worked for MBDA Missile Systems and conducted research in high-performance heterogeneous computing at Imperial College. In his spare time, he has broken UK rocketry altitude records with ICL Rocketry’s Altitude Record Team and now enjoys exploring New England with the MIT Outing Club.
Maranda Cherry
Maranda is an AeroAstro PhD student. She is from Vancouver, BC, Canada and attended Queen’s University in Kingston, ON, Canada, earning a degree in Engineering Physics, Mechanical Sub-option (2022). She earned her SM from AeroAstro in the Gas Turbine Lab, working on rotating stall in axial compressors (2024). She is now working on plasma assisted combustion, investigating the use of non-thermal plasmas to reduce NOx emissions in combustors. At MIT she is a leader for the Native American and Indigenous Association (NAIA), and enjoys reading, listening to music, beading, and playing soccer. She is a big nerd.
Niya Hope-Glenn
Niya is an AeroAstro SM student. She received her Bachelor of Science from Howard University in Chemical Engineering and has research experience in electrochemistry, space mission engineering, and co-crystallization. She’s extremely intrigued with learning more about quantum chemistry, plasma physics, and building on her knowledge of power systems for spacecraft. In her free time, Niya enjoys reading, taking nature walks, and playing with her dog, Bella!
Niall Mc Nama
SM student from Imperial College London.
UROPS
APG Administrative Assistant
Andrés Forero
aforero@mit.edu
APG Graduate Alumni
APG Visiting Student Alumni
Nicholas Laws
Harvard University, 2024
Pol Fontanes
Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), 2019, 2022
Hector Candela
Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), 2022
Michele Urbani
Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), 2019
APG UROP Alumni
Owen Matteson
2025
Zen Chi Ho Sang
2025
Ariel K. Mobius
2024
Claire Johnson
2024
Gabriella McDonald
2024
Xavier Bell
2022
Jose Betances
2022
Grace Mao
2022
Ethan Sit
2022
Sharil Maredia
2021
Devin Johnson
2021
Thomas Edelman
2021
Matthew H. Clingerman
2020
Matthew C. Campbell
2020
Tyler C. Worthley
2019
Sean Parks
2018