Zachary Cordero

Specialization and Research Interests

Key research interests include: processing science, additive manufacturing, propulsion and thermal protection materials, materials design for extreme aerospace environments, materials failure. Current projects aim to enable eminently reusable rocket engines, additively manufactured deployables for small sats, and in-space manufacturing of large structures.

Teaching Interests

selection, design, processing of materials for aerospace applications

Society Memberships

AIAA, SHPE, TMS

Positions Held at MIT

Boeing Assistant Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics

Positions Held outside MIT

Assistant Professor of Materials Science and NanoEngineering, Rice University, 2016-2020; Postdoctoral Researcher, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 2015-2016

Biography

Zack Cordero received his SB in physics from MIT in 2010. After working one year in the materials science division at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Zack returned to MIT to pursue a PhD in materials science and engineering, where his research focused on the powder-route synthesis of bulk nanostructured tungsten alloys. Upon graduating in 2015, Zack moved to a postdoctoral fellowship appointment in the Manufacturing Demonstration Facility of Oak Ridge National Laboratory where he developed process monitoring, quality control, and microstructure design tools for power-bed, metal additive manufacturing technologies. In 2016, Zack launched his independent career as an assistant professor in the Materials Science and NanoEngineering department at Rice University. In 2020, he moved to MIT’s Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Zack’s research program at MIT integrates his expertise in processing science, mechanics, and design to develop novel materials and structures for emerging aerospace applications.