Graduate Student
ESL: road-mapping the future of methane-based fuels
Christina is an S.M. candidate in the Strategic Engineering Research Group within the Engineering Systems Laboratory (ESL). Originally from the Bay Area in California, she moved across the country to pursue a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering with a minor in Theater Arts at MIT, graduating in 2024. As an undergraduate, she conducted research on technology road-mapping for Mars Sample Return and interned at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where she analyzed high-science-value, cost-effective, low-mass technologies for future Mars missions. This experience sparked a passion for systems engineering that led her to remain at MIT for graduate study, where she now focuses on complex systems challenges such as architecture generation and road-mapping the future of methane-based fuels in both aviation and space exploration.
Her communication interests broadly focus on effectively and persuasively sharing ideas, whether that’s through technical writing, visuals, or even applications. Outside of research, Christina enjoys cooking, going to the gym, hiking, traveling, and attending concerts.