First Lieutenant Ashwin S. Dharmakash completed his Ph.D. in Materials Engineering under the co-advisement of Professor Rodney Trice and Professor Jeffrey Youngblood. His work focused on the development of polycrystalline alumina as an infrared window candidate for hypersonic flight application. His approach primarily involved purifying platelet morphology powder, crystallographically aligning and densifying by sintering. Mechanical and optical properties were explored, as well as performance in a high heat flux environment, demonstrating promising results compared to current industry window alternatives. Upon graduation, Lieutenant Dharmakash will attend undergraduate space training with the U.S. Space Force in Colorado Springs.