³Ô¹ÏÍø

Duncan Byrne

1st Year PhD Student

Advisor: Sean Peters
Lab: Peters Lab

I am developing an orbital radar simulator to forward model the data we expect to see from Europa Clipper's radar sounder instrument By creating an efficient simulator which can operate at planetary scales we can form better interpretations and improved inversions of the icy moon's subsurface, helping the mission goal of habitability investigation and planetary exploration.

Renée DePencier Piñero

Incoming PhD StudentÌý

Advisor: Torin Clark
Lab: Bioastronautics Lab

My research will broadly focus on human performance and adaptation in aerospace environments. I am particularly interested in studying sensorimotor and physiological responses to altered-gravity conditions, as well as human interaction with autonomous systems in complex operational settings. My work will involve developing experimental and computational approaches to characterize how humans adapt to dynamic environments and collaborate with automated systems, to inform predictive models and countermeasures that support astronaut health, decision-making, and operational effectiveness. This research contributes to the development of human-centered aerospace systems for safe and sustainable space exploration.

Emily Gokie

Incoming PhD Student

Advisors: Penina Axelrad and Dennis Akos
Lab: COMPASS Lab and the Radio Frequency & Satellite Navigation Lab

I am interested in enhancing the precision timing abilities of small satellites for reliable positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT). There is a current shortfall in timing systems and methods that function with the low operating parameters required of small satellites and also meet the stability performance required for communication, PNT, and networking. These applications range from LEO constellations to cislunar missions.ÌýI want to investigate methods to improve performance using compact atomic clocks. In past research, I demonstrated the impact of limiting environmental temperature perturbations for such clocks as well as explored hybrid timing architectures to improve their long-term performances.

Aakash Jain

Incoming PhD Student

Advisors:John Evans and Kurt Maute
Lab: Computational Mechanics and Geometry Laboratory (CMGLab)

My research develops adjoint methods for hybrid particle-continuum solvers used in hypersonic computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Current high-fidelity hypersonic simulations couple continuum fluid solvers with particle-based Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) methods to accurately model flow across all altitude regimes, but no framework exists to efficiently compute gradients for these systems. By formulating an adjoint method for this hybrid solver — and implementing it on GPU-accelerated hardware — the work will enable gradient-based optimization of hypersonic vehicles at a fraction of the cost of traditional approaches, opening the door to high-fidelity multidisciplinary design optimization across the full hypersonic flight envelope for the first time.

Jain has also been awarded a Department of Energy (DOE) Federal rules allow honorees to receive only one fellowship. He has chosen the CSGP.

CJ O'Neill

Graduating Senior, attending Caltech in the fall

Advisor: Sean Peters
Lab: Peters Lab

I'm currently using synthetic-aperture radar to study the spread of a tree disease (ROD) in Hawaii by analyzing small changes in reflectivity. At Caltech, I'll transition to planetary geophysics, where I will use synthetic-aperture radar to understand the subsurface composition of icy moons. By observing small crustal deformations using radar, we can use inverse methods to determine the thickness of ice sheets, informing the possibility of life.Ìý

Ìý