Dorn, Nisser, and Vijay join A&A, enhancing space systems engineering expertise in structures and controls.

The Department of Aeronautics & Astronautics is excited to announce the addition of three new assistant professors to our faculty. Charlie Dorn, Martin Nisser, and Avin Vijay will join our team, bringing fresh perspectives and cutting-edge expertise to our space systems engineering program. These appointments strengthen our department's capabilities, particularly in the Structures discipline, with Professor Nisser also contributing to our autonomy expertise.

Charlie Dorn

Assistant Professor Charlie Dorn joins us from ETH Zurich, where he is finishing up his postdoctoral fellowship. Dorn received his PhD in space engineering from the California Institute of Technology. His research focuses on active and programmable structures, ranging from morphing origami-inspired structures to wave motion in mechanical metamaterials. Dorn's work combines theory, computation, and experimentation to develop structures with innovative properties such as wave steering and reconfigurability. His expertise in multiscale modeling and inverse design of structures and metamaterials will significantly enhance our department's research in advanced materials for space applications. He will join us full-time in January.

 

Martin Nisser

Assistant Professor Martin Nisser comes to us from MIT, where he completed his PhD in the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. Nisser's research centers on developing new fabrication methods for creating customizable hardware, from robots to space structures. His work spans applications from in-space manufacturing to personal fabrication, with a focus on automated digital fabrication and assembly procedures. Nisser brings valuable experience in computational fabrication, programmable materials, and modular robotic platforms for in-space assembly, having led multiple parabolic flight campaigns and contributed to MIT's Extrusion Project on the International Space Station.

 

Avin Vijay

Assistant Professor Avin Vijay arrives from the University of Michigan, where he served as a research faculty after completing his PhD in aerospace engineering there in 2021. Vijay's research focuses on leveraging structural mechanics and numerical tools for the Design for (Additive) Manufacturing (DfM/ DfAM) of composites and 3D-printed plastics used in aircraft and spacecraft structures. His expertise also includes mechanics of carbon fiber laminates and the application of machine learning in the mechanics and manufacturing of aerospace structures. His work on In-Space Assembly and Manufacturing (ISAM) of ultra-large space structures will contribute significantly to our department's capabilities in advanced space structure design.