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Experience

Professional Trajectory

My experience spans academic research, optimal control and estimation, aerospace and marine engineering, graduate teaching, technical projects, and student rocketry.

Research Projects Teaching Industry Leadership

Research Experience

Research and scholarly work

May 2024 – Present

Graduate Researcher

Spacecraft Procedures for Autonomous Control and Estimation Laboratory

Iowa State University

Advisor: Dr. Simone Servadio

  • Co-developed Quadratic Extended and Unscented Kalman Filters using quadratic approximations of the minimum mean-square-error estimator.
  • Extended conventional EKF and UKF measurement updates beyond affine dependence on the measurement.
  • Incorporated higher-order central moments, including skewness and kurtosis, for nonlinear estimation under non-Gaussian uncertainty.
  • Generalized quadratic measurement updates to arbitrary-order polynomial estimators while retaining a recursive Kalman-filter architecture.
  • Integrated Conjugate Unscented Transformation rules for evaluation of higher-order moments.
  • Evaluated higher-order filtering methods using Clohessy-Wiltshire and CR3BP dynamics.

August 2026 – Present

Researcher — LEQG Covariance Steering

Iowa State University

Ames, Iowa

Collaborators: Yasemin Isik and Dr. Abhishek Halder

  • Formulated and analyzed continuous-time Linear Exponential Quadratic Gaussian covariance steering between prescribed Gaussian endpoint covariances.
  • Derived the optimal risk-sensitive linear state-feedback structure.
  • Established local existence and uniqueness near the corresponding risk-neutral covariance-steering solution.
  • Implemented Newton's method with backtracking line search for the resulting implicit nonlinear matrix equation.
  • Demonstrated the numerical method on a noisy double-integrator system.

May 2023 – May 2025

Researcher — Composite Materials and Machine Learning

Vellore Institute of Technology

Vellore, India

Advisors: Dr. Devasri Fuloria and Dr. Gaurav Gupta

  • Investigated sisal-fiber, dolomite-dust, and epoxy hybrid composites.
  • Applied Taguchi L16 design of experiments to sliding-wear characterization.
  • Evaluated linear regression, decision tree, random forest, support vector regression, and artificial neural network models for material-property prediction.
  • Studied the relationship between composite formulation, mechanical behavior, and wear performance.

Selected Technical Projects

Applied engineering and computation

August 2024 – December 2024

Multi-Revolution Lambert Solver and Interplanetary Trajectory Reconstruction

Methods / Tools: MATLAB

Developed a constrained multiple-revolution Lambert solver and used it to reconstruct interplanetary spacecraft trajectories.

  • Implemented short-path and long-path transfer solutions with periapsis and apoapsis restrictions.
  • Reconstructed the Cassini-Huygens trajectory.
  • Validated generated ephemerides against NASA/JPL Horizons data.
  • Extended the framework to Galileo and Voyager trajectory cases.

February 2025 – May 2025

Titan Parafoil Terminal-Descent Optimization

Methods / Tools: Nonlinear Optimization

Formulated a nonconvex trajectory-optimization problem for terminal descent and soft landing of a parafoil vehicle on Titan.

  • Implemented glide-slope constraints.
  • Included pointing-angle and virtual-control constraints.
  • Evaluated the terminal-descent formulation across varying initial states.
  • Developed the problem around terrain-relative-navigation requirements.

Teaching Experience

Graduate instruction and student support

August 2025 – December 2025

Teaching Assistant — Linear Systems

AERE / EE / ME / MATH 5770

Iowa State University

  • Assisted with lectures, course presentations, grading, and student support for a graduate-level linear systems course.
  • Conducted office hours.
  • Developed a computational example to visualize theoretically intensive linear-systems concepts.

Industry Experience

Aerospace and marine engineering

August 2023 – October 2023

Engineering Intern

Dynamatic Technologies Limited — Oldland Aerospace

India

  • Supported SolidWorks-based design and manufacture of aerospace components, including flap-track and helicopter-fuselage components.
  • Conducted quality control and non-destructive testing.
  • Performed CNC machining, component assembly, and fabrication of metallic and composite test specimens.
  • Collaborated with production personnel to identify manufacturing defects and support corrective actions.

June 2022 – August 2022

Engineering Intern

APT Global Marine Services L.L.C.

UAE

  • Supported manufacturing and testing of naval components.
  • Produced Autodesk Fusion 360 CAD models for product-development activities.
  • Performed welding, CNC machining, assembly, and quality inspection.
  • Supported shipbuilding and naval-repair activities.

Leadership & Engineering Activities

Student rocketry and engineering leadership

July 2019 – May 2023

Senior Team Member · Former Recovery Head

Team Sammard — University Rocket Team

Vellore Institute of Technology

  • Contributed to the design, fabrication, launch, and recovery of a 10,000-ft sounding rocket developed for the Spaceport America Cup.
  • Supported development of a tethered camera payload designed for deployment at approximately 4,000 ft for the CanSat Competition.
  • Led recovery-system activities.
  • Developed safer and more cost-effective ejection and motor-testing procedures.
  • Introduced OpenRocket for project optimization.

Explore Further

Research behind the experience

Explore my research areas for additional technical context, or view publications associated with my current scholarly work.

Research Publications