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.