Our People

Dr. Karen Marais' research focuses on developing ways to deliver value through reliability, safety, and sustainability. On the theme of reliability, she is interested in how decisions about reliability and maintenance affect the value delivered by systems. She has shown, for example, that a focus on cost can result in a decrease in value. On the theme of safety, she is interested in how we can design and operate complex systems to work with human nature, rather than attempting to force people to be constantly vigilant and never make mistakes. She is currently extending this safety work to the prevention of other project failures too. Dr. Marais also works on data-driven approaches to improving aviation safety, in particular, on developing ways to use smartphone and other device data to improve General Aviation safety. On sustainability, Dr. Marais' primary focus is on the environmental impacts of aviation. Here, she investigates operational improvements that can reduce aviation emissions. She is the author or co-author of several technical publications, including 21 journal papers, two reports for the National Academies, and two book chapters. She received an NSF CAREER award in 2014.

Dr. Karen Marais has worked in engineering for two decades. Dr. Marais holds a B. Eng. in electrical and electronic engineering from the University of Stellenbosch and a B.Sc. in mathematics from the University of South Africa. She also holds a master’s degree in space-based radar from MIT. She received her Ph.D. from the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at MIT in 2005. Prior to graduate school, she worked in South Africa as an electronic engineer.

Google Scholar Profile

Ali is a Ph.D. candidate in the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Purdue University. He received his M.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Arizona State University. Prior to that, Ali held different roles with the National Satellite Technology Center, starting as a Thermal Engineer and then Satellite Assembly, Integration and Test (AIT) Engineer. He also worked as a Research Associate with the Center of Excellence for Aeronautics and Astronautics. Ali's research focuses on the Safety Design of Spaceports. In his free time, Ali likes to play tennis and watch NBA games.

Takaharu is a PhD candidate in the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Purdue University. He received his Bachelor and Master of Engineering in Architecture from the University of Tokyo in 2017 and 2019, respectively. He is majoring in Aerospace Sytems and his research focuses on establishing planning and design framework that can ensure system safety of construction in space. Takaharu's lifelong passion is contributing to the realization of architecture and human presence in space. He enjoys spending his free time watching TV shows and movies, playng tennis and basketball, cycling, surfing, skiing and snowboarding.

Takaharu in the news:

Wall Street Journal (Dec 2020): How to Build a Home on the Moon

INCOSE (July 2022): Best Student Paper Award
More about the award

Purdue Make Your Story Podcast (Oct 2022): Season 2 Episode 1

The Lunar Dispatch (by Will Dowd, Aug 2023): Super Blue Moon

Rashi is a Ph.D. student in the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Purdue University. At Purdue, her research is under the Resilient Extra-Terrestrial Habitat Institute (RETHi) with a focus on the development and validation of a resilience power framework. She received her bachelor’s degree in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from The University of Texas at Arlington. In her free time, she enjoys reading books, exploring, and hiking new nature spots, swimming, and trying to get on the rings.

Sanidhya is a Master’s student in the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Purdue University. He is originally from India and received his Bachelor’s degree in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering from Purdue University in December 2022. He is researching system acceptance testing and human factors design in military aviation. During his undergraduate studies, Sanidhya was a Teaching Assistant for First-Year Engineering courses for 3 years due to his passion for guiding and mentoring aspiring engineers. Outside of academics, Sanidhya follows Formula One and likes to work out, take long walks, and cook.

Javid is a PhD student, studying Risk-Informed UAS Performance Requirements. He is originally from Baku, Azerbaijan, and received his Bachelor’s Degree in the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Purdue University in May 2020.He has worked on multiple projects in multiple organizations throughout his career, including IEEE Aerial Robotics, AIAA DBF and Azercosmos (Azerbaijani State Space Agency). In his free time, he likes to watch and play soccer, work out, read and travel around the world.

Hetal is a Ph.D. student in the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Purdue University. She is from New Delhi, India. She received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering from Purdue with a focus in propulsion and systems engineering. Her current research area interests are - safety, risk assessment and human factors in the aerospace industry. Previously, she worked as an RA in the System of Systems lab at Purdue, studying Urban Air Mobility and as a TA for AAE 550– System of Systems Modeling class. Hetal also conducted experimental research, creating solid rocket propellants using chemical compounds found in Martian soil at Zucrow Laboratories, Purdue. In her free time, she likes to play soccer, swim, bake, fly small airplanes, and spend quality time with friends and family.

Lipi is a Master’s student in the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Purdue University. She received her bachelor’s degree in Aerospace engineering from the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology, India, back in 2019. For a few years after that, she worked as a scientist in the Indian Space Research Organization where she contributed to crew module systems for the upcoming human space mission of India. She is passionate about building safe and optimal extra-terrestrial systems. Outside work, Lipi enjoys hiking, cooking, and playing music.

Rahul is a master’s student studying Aeronautical & Astronautical Engineering in the fields of System Design and Astrodynamics & Space Applications. He is originally from New Jersey and obtained his bachelor’s degree in Aeronautical & Astronautical Engineering in May 2023. He has been part of Systems Engineering internships with small companies such as Autonodyne and larger ones such as Collins Aerospace. During the semester, Rahul participates on the AIAA Design-Build-Fly team, where he works with systems engineering aspects to prepare an RC aircraft to fly against colleges worldwide for annual missions. During his free time, Rahul likes to watch/play basketball and travel around the country.

Aishwarya is a PhD student in the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Purdue University. She received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Aerospace Engineering from Arizona State University and the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign respectively. She works full-time in Indianapolis. Outside of school and work, she loves classical music and is an ardent DIY’er.

Yu-Kai is a Ph.D. student in the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Purdue University. He holds M.S. and B.S. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University in Taiwan. His journey into space exploration began in college. As a graduate researcher at the Advanced Rocket Research Center, Yu-Kai honed skills in rocket propulsion and contributed to pioneering the world's first autonomous GNC hybrid rocket, HTTP-3A. Previously, he worked as a systems engineer at the Taiwan Space Agency (TASA), contributing to satellite and launch vehicle projects. Yu-Kai's research centers on enhancing space system resilience and safety. Outside work, he enjoys swimming, traveling, and cooking.

Noah is an undergraduate sophomore majoring in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering planning to specialize in Astrodynamics and Space Applications. He is working as an undergraduate research assistant for the Resilient Extraterrestrial Habitat institute (RETHi) to develop habitat functionality models and integrate them into a dynamics, performance based, and predictive computational model. Outside work, he enjoys weightlifting, rock climbing, and playing hockey.

Mihir is an undergraduate junior majoring in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering. He is interested in the field of Aerodynamics and intends to pursue it as his specialization. He is originally from India but lived in Singapore for most of his life. Mihir is working on the Accident Search and Analysis in Extraterrestrial Construction project, where he will help develop a framework to aid system safety of construction in space. In his free time, Mihir loves to play Tennis, binge TV, and hit the gym.

Darin is an undergraduate junior majoring in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering specializing in Astrodynamics and Space Applications. He is working as an undergraduate research assistant with the Resilient Extraterrestrial Habitat Institute?(RETHi) and is helping to develop computational models for an extraterrestrial habitat. Prior to this work, he conducted undergraduate level research on dynamic thermal systems. Outside school, he enjoys cooking, lifting, and reading Wikipedia articles. ??

Megan is an undergraduate senior majoring in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering specializing in Aerospace Systems. She is from Orlando, Florida. She is graduating in December 2023 and will be starting her master’s degree in January 2024. Megan began her work with the Resilient Extra-Terrestrial Habitat Institute (RETHi) in the Purdue SURF Program in 2022 focusing on quantifying and calculating resilience metrics and continues to work with the Resilience Thrust. In her free time, Megan enjoys reading, exercising, and baking.

Zosia is an undergraduate senior majoring in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering with a specialization in Aerospace Systems. She is originally from Poland, but has spent most of her life in the Chicago area. She is graduating in May 2024 and continuing her education through Purdue’s BSAAE/MSAA program. Zosia is beginning her work on No Fault Found Failures and other aircraft and rotorcraft reliability issues to further explore topics she encountered during her internship at NAVAIR. Outside work and school, Zosia loves to cook, ski, and kiteboard.

Don-Terry is an undergraduate senior specializing in aerodynamics. He previously completed a bachelor’s in engineering-physics from Morgan State University and is initiating the 3+2 Dual Degree Partnership between Morgan and Purdue as the first student of the program. He works on identifying parameters for drone acceptance and integrating drone technologies on a day-to-day consumer level under the University Leadership Initiative (ULI) program. His free time includes playing the piano, baseball, going to the gym, and videogames.