DWG NO. AP-2026  ·  ER13 Engine Component Development

Aaditya Pore
Turbomachinery Engineer

I specialize in turbomachinery at NASA Marshall, doing everything from additive manufacturing and materials characterization to console support for Artemis launches.

01 ABOUT

I work on the parts of a rocket engine that spin. As a Turbomachinery Engineer in NASA Marshall's Engine Component Development Branch, I design test hardware, characterize additively manufactured metal alloys, and support live console operations. Most recently, I monitored turbomachinery performance through launch for Artemis II.

A lot of my work sits between design and materials science. I built ARMOR (Additive Rig for Manufacturing Optimization and Roughness) to study how additive manufacturing and post-processing methods affect turbomachinery performance, and I've spent a lot of time characterizing NASA-developed alloys like GRX-810 for use in engine components.

Outside the lab, I've put about as much energy into people as into hardware. I founded a professional development organization for CU Boulder engineering students, led my graduating class as Senior Class President, and was the student speaker at CU Boulder's 2025 Commencement. I try to lead the same way I engineer: understand the system before you try to change it.

Current RoleTurbomachinery Engineer
CenterMarshall Space Flight Center
DegreesB.S. Aero + B.A. CS
InstitutionCU Boulder
02 EXPERIENCE

NASA Marshall Space Flight Center

Turbomachinery Engineer, ER13 · Huntsville, AL
  • Artemis II launch support. Served on console monitoring turbomachinery performance through chill-down, fueling, and launch, and presented findings on off-nominal observations along with ways to resolve them in future launches.
  • ARMOR test rig. Designed a test bench from scratch, including a novel air panel, test matrix, and control software, under a Center Innovation Fund award studying how additive manufacturing affects turbomachinery performance.
  • Lunar electronics insulation. Won one of five department-wide ES IT&D grants for a new insulation method for electronics operating at the lunar South Pole.
  • Metal additive manufacturing. Designed characterization studies and built a physical test stand for L-PBF engine components in GRX-810, evaluating performance across post-processing methods.
  • Materials characterization. Worked with NASA-developed alloys GRCop-42 and GRX-810 across burst testing, lattice analysis, and pre and post-processing property optimization.
  • Post-processing R&D. Prepared and evaluated parts using chemical milling, chemical-mechanical polishing, thermal energy methods, micromachining, and abrasive flow machining.
  • HLS risk reduction. Contributed technically and in a leadership capacity to Human Landing System risk reduction efforts, including inducer waterflow testing and test stand modifications.
  • Automation. Wrote MATLAB and Python tools that measurably cut turnaround time on recurring turbomachinery analysis tasks.
  • Testing.Provided testing support at NASA test facilities for HLS initiatives.
View related projects →

CU Gateway

Co-Founder & President
  • Founded an organization connecting CU Boulder STEM students with internships and industry professional development.
  • Helped 17% of participating students land NASA Pathways interviews, with 3 full-time offers converted at a 100% interview-to-offer rate.

Senior Class Council

Senior Class President
  • Built relationships with the Chancellor's office, the Center for Student Involvement, and the Commencement committee to advocate for student resources.
  • Directly supervised a roughly 20-person council, overseeing event planning and a new organizational structure for future cohorts.
  • Selected CU Boulder's 2025 Commencement speaker and was chosen as the ceremony's sole student speaker.

Matter Assembly Computation Lab (MACLab)

Research Assistant
  • Manufactured test bench components, including flow rate and resistance sensors, to integrate pneumatic actuator testing into one modular rig.
  • Built a MATLAB analysis pipeline processing pressure, load cell, and other sensor data to qualify pneumatic actuator performance.
  • Prototyped multi-material 3D printed pneumatic actuators using TPU filaments, and drew circuit diagrams and soldered new test bench electronics.
  • Co-authoring a paper on proprioceptive actuator design and leading a test bench characterization paper as primary author.
View related projects →

U.S. House of Representatives

Congressional Legislative Intern
  • Synthesized legislative research into briefing memos and drafted an original resolution for the House floor.
  • Supported Transportation & Infrastructure initiatives, including Amtrak expansion in Kansas and drone-based wildfire mitigation.
  • Fielded constituent communications for the office during a period of heightened political activity.
03 SKILLS

Coding

C++MATLABPython LaTeXJava

Manufacturing

3D Printing / LPBFAutodesk Inventor Fusion 360Siemens NX SOLIDWORKSCreoWindchill

Data Management

RMicrosoft Suite
04 HONORS & AWARDS
2025
  • Colorado Student Leader of the Year — Boettcher Foundation
  • Student Commencement Speaker — University of Colorado Boulder
  • Senior Class President
2024
  • Flanagan-Walker Scholar
  • CalHacks 11.0 — 2nd Place, Best Use of Deepgram
  • CU Boulder Graduating Leader of the Year
2023
  • TreeHacks (Stanford) — Best Team & Most Creative Hack, $11,000
  • Scale AI Hackathon — Best Use of OpenAI & Audience Choice, $3,500
  • CalHacks AI — Top 15% of entries
  • Smead Aerospace — Best Engineering (Glider) & Best Accuracy (Rocket)
  • NASA ES I&TD Grant Recipient
2022
  • Summer Program for Undergraduate Research Scholar
  • NASA Pathways Intern
2021
  • Arnold and Edna Weber Scholar
  • Best in Class — Engineering Projects
  • Best Project in Cohort — Global Engineering
05 EDUCATION

University of Colorado, Boulder

B.S. Aerospace Engineering · B.A. Computer Science
Materials Science · Complex Leadership Challenges · CU in DC – Science Policy · President's Leadership Class Scholar
AUG 2021 — AUG 2025