Graduate Students | Raghavan Research Group

Remelisa Esteves

estevesr_at_knights.ucf.edu

Remelisa Esteves joined the lab as a graduate student in the fall of 2017. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in aerospace engineering with a focus on space systems design and engineering at UCF. She earned her bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) in 2016. Her interest in research began when she worked as an undergraduate researcher at ERAU, where she studied fluid properties of eco-friendly surfactant solutions and their applications to engineering systems. As a graduate student, she leads a project that involves optimizing the piezospectroscopic method, a nondestructive testing technique that utilizes photoluminescence spectroscopy for monitoring stress and damage in structures, to translate it towards commercial viability in the aerospace industry. This project is supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Partnerships for Innovation (PFI) program, which allows Remelisa to work in collaboration with Boeing. From June 2018 to December 2018, she works as an intern with Boeing to continue her research in piezospectroscopy while gaining industry experience. Remelisa is passionate about airplanes and strives to broaden her knowledge in aerospace structures and materials. She also enjoys doing arts and crafts, playing video games, working out, traveling, learning new languages and reading.

Johnathan Hernandez

hjohnathan2177_at_knights.ucf.edu

Johnathan Hernandez is currently pursuing a master’s degree in aerospace engineering with a focus on thermal fluids. While pursuing his bachelor’s degree, he worked in the ALOX and CMAS teams supporting experiments using Raman and photoluminescence spectroscopy to characterize materials such as high temperature turbine coatings and stress-sensing smart coatings. He is now leading a new project based on non-destructive techniques of undercoating corrosion detection. Johnathan has a passion for propulsion systems, specifically nozzle design and combustion phenomena. During his free time, he enjoys playing computer games, CADing systems, and enjoying the company of friends and family.

Matthew Northam

matthewnortham_at_knights.ucf.edu

Matt is pursuing a Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering with a focus on Space Systems Design and Engineering. He completed his Bachelor’s of Science in Mechanical Engineering in 2016 at UCF, then worked for two years as a design engineer at American Civil Engineering Company in Orlando before deciding to devote his time to research and to pursue a graduate degree in the Aerospace field. He is interested in orbital and structural mechanics as well as materials science. He joined the lab in Fall 2016 as an undergraduate studying CMAS effects on TBCs, then rejoined in Spring 2018 to work on PS-PVD TBCs. In his free time, he enjoys listening to fictional audiobooks, traveling, and playing sports.

José Mayí-Rivas

jose.mayi_at_knights.ucf.edu

José is currently a PhD student at UCF majoring in Mechanical Engineering. He also works as a design and analysis engineer with NASA at Kennedy Space Center. His research interest include nondestructive evaluation methods, analytical methods for both materials and classical mechanics, optomechanical systems, and micro propulsion. José has two Master’s degree, one in Mechanical Engineering and another in Space Systems, both from the Florida Institute of Technology (2012). He has over 10 years of professional experience in the aerospace industry working in modeling and analysis of mechanical components using finite element methods and rigid body dynamics.

Quentin Fouliard

quentin_at_knights.ucf.edu

Quentin is a PhD student in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from France, he joined the lab in Fall 16 and has been the lab manager since Spring 17. His research work focuses on the development of smart materials for Thermal Barrier Coatings in turbine systems. Quentin is the lead student for the DoE funded project dedicated to advance instrumentation methods for temperature and stress monitoring in extreme environments. Quentin is also a Teaching Assistant for the Senior level class Analysis and Design of Aircraft Structures at UCF. In the past, he already worked three months in Dr. Raghavan’s Research Group, in Summer 2015, as a visiting student, taking part in the Hybrid Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer research. He earned a Master’s degree in Materials Science Engineering from the École Polytechnique de l’Université de Nantes, France, with part of the degree completed at the University of Seville, Spain in 2016. He worked in 2016 as a Design Engineer at Unilaser, Seville, an aerospace subsidiary specialized in 3D laser cutting and welding. Quentin is passionate about planes, and he loves traveling and learning more languages. He also likes running, swimming, and playing the guitar.

Alexander Olvera

alexander.olvera001_at_knights.ucf.edu

Alexander is a graduate student pursuing a PhD in Aerospace Engineering and is interested in aerospace structures and materials research. He received his bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering at UCF. Alex is currently on the ALOX team. He completed an Associate of Arts degree at Miami Dade College before finishing high school via a dual enrollment program. His hobbies include drawing and playing the piano. Alex joined the lab in September 2018.

Lin Rossmann

lin.rossmann_at_knights.ucf.edu

Lin is pursuing a Master’s degree in Materials Science and Engineering. She was part of the 2016 field team that conducted synchrotron x-ray diffraction studies of additively manufactured superalloys for high-temperature applications at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL). As part of this work, she developed a novel method of obtaining images for digital image correlation at high temperature. She spent 10 weeks in the summer of 2017 conducting research in Cologne, Germany in collaboration with the German Aerospace Center (DLR) as part of the IRES program. She returned to ANL as part of the 2018 field team, using the synchrotron to study the properties of thermal barrier coatings for high-temperature applications. Thanks to a Fulbright award, she is back at DLR in Cologne for 10 months, from September 2018 to July 2019, continuing her research in thermal barrier coatings. In her spare time, she enjoys sewing, gardening, and reading science fiction. She joined the lab as an undergraduate in the spring of 2016.