Smriti Nandan Paul (Director)
Graduate Students
Grant Baer (PhD Student)
Grant Baer received his BS in Aerospace Engineering from Missouri S&T in 2024. In Summer 2024, he joined the DCV-Space group as a PhD student. He was a NASA BIG Idea Challenge 2023 Finalist (Moon Mining Project). His research interests include Astrodynamics, Guidance, Navigation, & Control (GNC), and spacecraft design.
Jay Kamdar (PhD Student)
Jay Kamdar received his MS in Aerospace Engineering from Missouri S&T in 2025. In Fall 2025, he joined the DCV-Space group as a PhD student with a focus on space domain awareness and space autonomy. His current research focuses on space debris mitigation and integrating robotics and computer vision to simulate space operations. Having worked on various projects and professional academies, his leadership skills are best highlighted through his role as the Director of Projects at SEDS (seds.org) and Vice President at AIAA – MST. Outside work, Jay enjoys working on spacecraft and rocket models and is an avid film enthusiast!
Logan Paige Banker (MS Student)
Logan Banker received her BS in Aerospace Engineering from Missouri S&T in 2024. In Fall 2024, she joined the DCV-Space group as an MS student. Her research interests include Astrodynamics, Guidance, Navigation, & Control (GNC), and vision-based active space removal and on-orbit services.
Mohanad Alameer (MS Student)
Mohanad Alameer is a graduate student pursuing a MS in Aerospace Engineering. He recieved his BS in Aerospace Engineering at Missouri S&T in 2025. He is an active member of the S&T Rocket Design Team, where he worked in structures, manufacturing, and aerodynamics. His current research interests include Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC), Active Debris Removal, and Astrodynamics.
Coleman Goulding (MS Student)
Coleman Goulding is planning to graduate from Missouri S&T with an MS in Aerospace Engineering in Fall 2026. He currently serves as Chief Engineer for the MR & MRS SAT mission on the Missouri S&T Satellite Research Team (M-SAT). His research interests include spacecraft design, communications, and Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC).
Katarina Keller (MS Student)
Katarina Keller is a graduate student pursuing a MS in Aerospace Engineering. She received her BS in Aerospace Engineering in 2025 at Missouri S&T. She is currently involved on the Missouri S&T Satellite Research Team (M-SAT) team, working on Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) and Software. Her research interests include Astrodynamics and GNC.
Michael Wozniak (Voluntary External Graduate Researcher)
Michael is a graduate student pursuing an MS in Aeronautics & Astronautics at Purdue University. He is also a Control Systems Engineer at Rolls-Royce. His research interests include Reinforcement Learning, Optimization, and Control Theory.
Undergraduate Students
Ryan Dunham (Undergraduate)
Ryan Dunham is an undergraduate BS student in Aerospace Engineering and expected to graduate from Missouri S&T in 2026. His research interests include Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC), and Propulsion.
David Meisinger (Undergraduate)
David Meisinger is planning to graduate from his undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering in Spring 2026. He joined the DCV-Space group in Spring 2025 and has been working on robotic arm control and automation. He also develops software for Missouri S&T Satellite Research Team (M-SAT) missions. He research interests include spacecraft Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC), system dynamics, and software development.
Michelle Angel (Undergraduate)
Michelle Angel is expected to receive her BS in Aerospace Engineering from Missouri S&T in 2026. She is also pursuing a minor in math and in business. Her research interests include Astrodynamics, Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC), as well as spacecraft design.
Trevor Hunting (Undergraduate)
Trevor Hunting is expected to receive his BS in Aerospace engineering from the Missouri University of Science and Technology in 2026. He is an active member of the MST Rocket Design Team who has taken an interest in liquid propulsion. His research interests include Spacecraft Propulsion Systems and Astrodynamics.
Sri Hari Priya (Voluntary External Undergraduate Researcher)
Sri Hari Priya is a Senior, majoring in mechanical engineering. Her areas of interest include Machine Learning for aerospace applications and solid mechanics.
Igor Panfil (Past Undergraduate Student)
Igor Panfil is an integrated Master’s student in Aerospace Engineering at The University of Sheffield, England. He studied on a year abroad at Missouri S&T, where he was a member of the Propulsion and Thermal subsystems of the Missouri S&T Satellite Research Team. His research interests include Space Object Characterization, Multiple-Model Adaptive Estimation, and Space Sustainability.