Current Members
Aanchal Gupta | President
Aanchal Gupta is a graduate student pursuing PhD under Prof.Magdi Ragheb and Prof.Rizwan Uddin. Her research is in the field of nuclear space power & propulsion. Through her research, she intends to fulfill her dream of helping launch humans into deep space and interplanetary missions. Apart from academics, Aanchal has an interest in reading thriller & high-fantasy novels, watching suspense-thriller movies, going for walk, singing, traveling & exploring new places, and socializing. She is very friendly and enjoys helping & connecting with people from different backgrounds. By serving as a member of AE-GSAC she hopes to support graduate students and enhance their cultural, social & academic experience at UIUC.
Srividhya Sridhar | Vice President
Srividhya Sridhar is pursuing her Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering specializing in Structures and Materials under Prof. Shelby Hutchens. Her research work involves FEA computations for studying Fatigue Fracture, 2D nanomaterials with DFT, and Composite materials analysis with Machine Learning. Sri has a passion for organizing events and managing teams and she has held several positions of responsibility for a few professional events during her undergrad in India. With AeroGSAC, she is hoping to improve the organization by working on intriguing events and having more Aerospace people involved in socializing within and outside the department. Besides her academics, Sri is a professional classical dancer and she likes traveling, vlogging, photography, going on long walks, reading spy novels, watching thriller movies, and being a fan of sunsets.
Taha Shafa | Secretary
Taha is a Ph.D. candidate in Aerospace with a focus on control system theory. He is most interested in control system theory as it relates to systems with significant uncertainties in their dynamics. As a member of AeroGSAC, Taha hopes improve the Ph.D. network among students within the program to help create an environment with increased collaboration and opportunity. His interests include any and all outdoor activities and good movies to watch when feeling lazy.
Nagachandra Nagaraj | Treasurer
Nagachandra Nagaraj is pursuing his master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering at UIUC. Fascinated by speed and technology, his research interests include but are not limited to high-speed gas dynamics, propulsion, and machine learning. Through AeroGSAC, he aims on spreading the significance of space research for the benefit of humankind. Apart from aerospace, his hobbies include cooking, trading stocks, swimming, and playing chess. He looks forward to learning the saxophone and is excited about adventure sports.
Alen Envieh Golpashin | Outreach and Advocacy Chair
Alen is a PhD candidate working with Dr. Bruce Conway in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. Alen’s research is in the field of optimal control theory. Other focuses of research include methods of data assimilation, dynamical systems, stochastic control, and nonlinear dynamics in aerospace applications. Currently, he is studying methods of dimensional reduction for Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman partial differential equations. A fan of contemporary classical and classical crossover music, in his free time, he composes music for the piano. Other activities he enjoys include hiking, camping, and astrophotography.
Jacob Eisen | Member
Jacob Eisen is pursuing his master’s degree under the advice of Dr. Joshua Rovey in the Electric Propulsion Laboratory. With the goal of enabling new science-focused missions in deep space, he works on the electrical systems that drive innovative propulsion systems. Through AeroGSAC, he hopes to improve the accessibility of space science through community programming, encourage healthy graduate student lifestyles, and promote ethical academics. Other than space, he is passionate about fighting games, jazz percussion/keyboard, and exploring nature. He loves traveling and learning from the experiences of others.
Kuldeep Namdeo | Membership Director
Kuldeep Namdeo is a first-year graduate student in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at UIUC. He is currently working with Dr. Phillip J. Ansell on distributed electric propulsion systems and is also greatly interested in the bio-inspired domain. His hobbies include trying new activities, playing basketball and table tennis, Greek mythology, star-gazing, sketching portraits, and cooking pizzas, among others. Kuldeep feels great to be a part of AeroGSAC, he looks forward to interacting with other aerospace enthusiasts and contributing his best to help students and improve the network of the aerospace community.