I’m a mechanical engineer with a B.S. from Olin College of Engineering and a passion for hands-on design and engineering. I enjoy working across the full design cycle — from initial concept through final integration — with particular interest in machining, testing, system integration, and failure analysis. My technical experience includes internships with SpaceX (Dragon Structures & Starlink Gateway), ABL Space Systems (RS1 Vehicle Structures), and leadership as Project Manager and Structures Lead of Olin Rocketry. Through these roles, I’ve developed a solid foundation in aerospace systems, project management, and hands-on technical skills in materials science/metallurgy, design and simulation, failure analysis, and manufacturing. I’m also currently leading an in-depth failure analysis case study on sustained load cracking in aluminum gas cylinders, which is being prepared for publication.
Click below or scroll to see some of my technical experiences
Polaris Dawn astronauts posing with the SpaceX EVA capsule I worked on which was used in the first-ever commercial EVA.
SpaceX Dragon Structures TrunkShield Intern — Feb ’24 to Mar ’24, Hawthorne, CA
During my internship, I contributed to multiple large-scale projects spanning extensive margin and fracture analyses for critical flight hardware, as well as redesign efforts on Heatshield flight parts for optimized performance and manufacturability.
A SpaceX Dragon capsule post-splashdown on the recovery boat awaiting inspections.
SpaceX Starlink Gateway Reliability Intern — May ’23 to Aug ’23, Redmond, WA
During my internship, I contributed to and led multiple projects with the most significant being the design, manufacture, and qualification of a custom lifting tool designed to replace certain defective/damaged parts on the Starlink gateways.
Polaris Dawn EVA spacesuit mechanics testing.
I served as both Project Manager and Structures Lead for Olin Rocketry, Olin College’s student-led high-powered rocketry team. In these roles, I led the structural design, testing, and manufacturing efforts for dual-deployment rockets competing at the Intercollegiate Rocket Engineering Competition (IREC) in New Mexico. I was responsible for managing overall team coordination and communication between sub-teams to ensure smooth integration and timely progress on competition and test rockets. Alongside structural leadership, I directed systems development and testing, balancing tight competition schedules with the need for precision and reliability. As a senior member of the team, I delivered lectures on core mechanical engineering topics such as finite element analysis (FEA) and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) using Ansys, fluid dynamics, dynamics, hand calculations (including lead screw power transfer, thread shear, margin and factor of safety), and free body diagrams. This experience helped me develop strong project management skills, cross-functional leadership abilities, and deep technical expertise in aerospace engineering.
Loading the black powder charges into our Phoenix V-2 rocket and preparing to arm the rocket.
I led most of the team's new development projects such as:
Presenting our most recent rocket and changes to Olin alumni.
Phoenix V-2 launch at RIMRA in RI | Apogee of 550m | Max Velocity of 80m/s
Phoenix V-2 was launched with custom in-house manufactured carbon fiber tubes which were made by wrapping epoxy-saturated carbon fiber fabric around an aluminum mandrel. Once cured, liquid nitrogen was used to release the carbon fiber tube from the mandrel. There is currently an ongoing project on the team to manufacture a tube winding machine which will be used to wrap composite tubes directly from individual filaments. This approach will allow the production of complex shapes, such as nosecones, and optimize strength in different directions by varying the weave patterns.
I can be seen assembling the rocket by use of shear pins and rivets after loading the drogue and main parachutes.
I interned at ABL Space Systems from April to August 2024 on the RS1 Vehicle Structures team in El Segundo, CA. My work involved extensive finite element analysis (FEA) and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) using Ansys and FEMAP, as well as Siemens NX CAD modeling, aerothermal simulations, and hand calculations across various projects. These projects included redesigning external LOx flow covers, evaluating weld strength coupons, and conducting hydrostatic and pneumatic pressure tests. I performed pressurized buckling tests to determine interstitial buckling loads on fuel and LOx transfer tubes. Additionally, I designed two test fixtures for pressure testing radial and face omniseals under both ambient and cryogenic conditions. Over 40 tests were conducted, varying parameters such as gas temperature, seal temperature, tube out-of-roundness, gas type, pressure, and leak check duration. This internship provided me with significant hands-on experience in hydrostatic and pneumatic pressure testing, advanced FEA/CFD, and the opportunity to coordinate with multiple teams to ensure project success.
