HRVIP Members

Lab Leadership

Stephen K Robinson

Dr. Stephen K. Robinson

  • Lab Director
Dr. Robinson is the Principal Investigator of the HRVIP Lab. As a research scientist, his areas of interest include human spaceflight; spacecraft design, operations, and inspection; human/system integration for aerospace systems; augmentation of human capabilities in hazardous environments; robotics and UAV technology; fluid physics and modeling; aircraft aerodynamics; and safety engineering.
Chris Andrade floating in Zero-G

Chris Andrade

  • IT Admin
Chris is a master's student working on the Zero-G HDD project by supporting the development of CubeSat design.
Professor James Baughn

Dr. James Baughn

  • Chief Pilot
Dr. James Baughn is a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering at the University of California, Davis and the Chief Pilot of HRVIP.
Dr. Campanile

Dr. Valentina Campanelli

  • Research and Development Engineer
Valentina is leading the development of robotic applications for autonomous plant cultivation in space, with a focus on reducing crew workload and improving plant health monitoring.
Krasen Kovachev

Krasen Kovachev

  • Safety Manager
Krasen has been a Development Engineer for MAE since 2019, and is now launching into his MS degree in HRVIP.

PhD Students

Brian Huo

Brian Huo

  • HRVIP Lab Manager
Brian is researching haptic feedback for augmenting manual control of robotic tools.
Adam Zufall

Adam Zufall

  • CSER Satellite Lab Manager
  • Chief Scientist
Adam earned his undergraduate degree in MAE before going on to Stanford and NASA; he is now returning to launch his PhD research in satellite design, systems, and integration.

Masters Students

Chris Andrade floating in Zero-G

Chris Andrade

Chris is a master's student working on the Zero-G HDD project by supporting the development of CubeSat design.
padyn photo hiking

Padyn den Dulk

Padyn's current research examines the logistical requirements and conceptual operations of delivering medical care in future lunar habitation environments.
Russell Graf

Russell Graf

Russell is a masters student in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. In HRVIP he is studying the implementation of robotics for fostering plants in space.
Krasen Kovachev

Krasen Kovachev

Krasen has been a Development Engineer for MAE since 2019, and is now launching into his MS degree in HRVIP.
Luis L.

Luis Nuñez Lopez

Luis is an MS student and is researching how ground control can better support astronauts as we move beyond low Earth orbit.
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Rachel Pride

Rachel is a M.S. student researching the use of low-cost reaction wheels for future CubeSat orbital flight applications.
Angel Rodas

Angel Rodas

Angel is researching the logistics of space medical evacuation (medevac) missions and technologies enabling space to earth medical transport from low Earth orbit.
Mahima

Mahima Rudrapati

Mahima is a Masters student in Computer Science. She is working on object detection and navigation to help robots grow plants in space.
davis students on parabolic flight

Zoe Wilf

  • HRVIP Lab Manager
Zoe is a Master's student developing a remote control interface and workstation to simulate in-EVA robotic operation on a planetary surface.

Undergraduate Students

Maya B.

Maya Bahnasy

Maya is a fourth-year student double majoring in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, with an interest in spacecraft mechanical systems for deep space and planetary exploration systems.
PeytonH

Peyton Hilford

Peyton is a third year physics student assisting Janine in studying sublimation through porous materials as means of cooling CubeSats.
Headshot of young Asian man with short bleached hair, blue shirt, neutral expression

Kaitaro Hori

Kai Hori is a fourth-year Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering student at UC Davis from Japan who contributes to satellite communications, ground-station development, and the MOON initiative for hands-on satellite data reception and mission operations training.
Anderson L.

Anderson Lin

Anderson is a fourth-year student double-majoring in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at UC Davis with an interest in astronomy and satellite systems.
Rachel L.

Rachel Long

Rachel Long is a senior undergraduate in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering researching Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS) through zeolite-based carbon dioxide removal system testing.
Smiling woman in navy jacket seated on driftwood by lake with forest behind (photo)

Kimberly Moniz

Kimberly is a recent graduate in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. She is interested in controls-related work and mechatronics systems, particularly for aerospace and robotics applications.
Young woman in a blazer standing confidently with arms crossed, smiling outdoors.

Aitana Valderrey

Aitana is a junior exchange student from Spain. In the HRVIP Lab, she works on the Float Unit as part of the HDD project, contributing to the development and testing of a ground-based system used to validate small satellite attitude determination and control systems prior to launch.
P. Yeh

Phoebe Yeh

Phoebe is an undergraduate with senior standing in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering that is researching human-robotic interfaces for long-term habitation of the moon and other planetary environments.

Artists in Residence

Olka B.

Olka Bodnar

Olka is a third-year art student and a Ukrainian artist.
Jewel T.

Jewel Tran

Jewel Tran is a first-year transfer undergraduate artist-in-residence majoring in Art Studio.

Associate Researchers

Professor Ron Hess

Dr. Ron A. Hess

Dr. Hess's research interests lie in the areas of automatic control, atmospheric flight mechanics and human/machine systems.
Sarah O'Meara

Dr. Sarah O'Meara

Sarah specializes in myoelectric control with a particular interest in interfaces that use a single muscle site with an emphasis on human learning to leverage neuromuscular plasticity.

PhD Alumni

Logan Halstrom

Dr. Logan Halstrom

Logan is a PhD Candidate researching CFD simulation of the unstable pendulum motion of NASA’s Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle’s main parachutes.
Joe Morrison

Joe Morrison

Joe is an MD/PhD student in Biomedical Engineering researching implementation of medical services in space

Masters Alumni

Daniela Ivey

Daniela Barajas Ivey

Daniela is currently pursuing her Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering with a research focus on Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS) – an integral step on the way to sustainable deep space habitation.
Nat Blaesser

Nat Blaesser

Nat's research investigated the initial concept and top level requirements for a space ambulance to return from ISS in the event of an injured crew member.
Alan Carey

Alan Carey

Alan’s research at UC Davis focused on designing a passive mechanism to reduce astronaut hand fatigue while wearing space suits.
Zhixiang (Tony) Chao

Zhixiang (Tony) Chao

Tony is researching the advanced UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) control, specializes in tilted frame UAV which is capable of VTOL (Vertical Takeoff and Landing) and transition to horizontal flight.
Sean Comick

Sean Comick

Sean is a second year Master's student in the HRVIP lab working on the CHANGES project which aims to develop a nonpharmaceutical countermeasure to space adaptation sickness.
Katherine Homer

Katie Homer

Katie is using eye tracking technology to improve pilot training and leading the UCD HCAAM team in the development of enhanced interactive procedures for NASA.
Shannon Lackey

Shannon Lackey

Shannon is currently pursing a M.S. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at UC Davis with a focus on Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS).
Casey Miller

Casey Miller

Casey researches human performance in aerospace environments and is team lead for the CHANGES project, which aims to develop a nonpharmaceutical countermeasure to space adaptation sickness.
Janine Moses

Janine R. Moses

Janine's research focuses on the use of sublimation phase change technology as a means of thermal control for eventual use on CubeSats.
Abhay Negi

Abhay Negi

Abhay researches using hard disk drives as low-cost CubeSat reaction wheels and testing them in zero gravity flight.
Ansha Prashanth

Ansha Prashanth

Ansha is a Master’s student in Computer Science. She is developing the software for a digital twin satellite payload to perform battery system prognostics. 
Monica Torralba

Monica Torralba

Monica works on modeling and simulating Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS) to enable automated prognostics and feedback control for future habitats.

Undergraduate Alumni

Manuel Anguiano

Manuel Anguiano

Manuel is currently researching for the design of the air bearing table for simulation of frictionless planar motion to test features of CubeSats.
Xiao-Bao Bao

Xiao-Bao Bao

Xiao supports the development of computer vision and machine learning models for the Inspection CubeSat.
Kholoud Bashayan

Kholoud Bashayan

Kholoud aims to apply her experience in manufacturing to help support the manufacturing process of the space laundry project and future projects in the lab.
Savannah Buchner

Savannah Buchner

Savannah's research focused on customizable procedures for long duration astronaut training.
Lauren Campbell

Lauren Campbell

Lauren’s undergraduate work was in manufacturing the precision airfoil for Sam Morice’s master’s project in viscous flow control for stall management using intelligent vortex generators
Yi-Hsuan Cheng

Yi-Hsuan Cheng

Yi-Hsuan serves as a machine learning specialist and optimizes the performance of object detection and pose estimation algorithm for Inspection CubeSat project.
Ian Chuang

Ian Chuang

Ian is working with Tammer Barkouki on programming and controlling dual UR5e robot arms using behavior trees and explainable AI.
Jason Ciola

Jason Ciola

Jason assists the NASA's Human Capabilities Assessment for Autonomous Missions (HCAAM) project.
Ashley Coates

Dr. Ashley Coates

As an undergrad, Ashley was one of the first members of the HRVIP lab and worked on several projects including reverse engineering a robotic arm.
Cordell Cohoon

Cordell Cohoon

Cordell's research is in support of the two-fault tolerant propulsion system for the Inspection CubeSat project.
Krystal D.

Krystle Dang

Krystle is a third-year undergraduate student majoring in Chemical Engineering. She joined the HRVIP lab and the NASA HOME (Habitats Optimized for Missions of Exploration) STRI to collaborate with Daniela's research in Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS)
Max Danilevsky

Max Danilevsky

Max participated in various inter-departmental projects that included a portable heated bird perch for research use in the Department of Veterinary Medicine, designing active vortex generators to reduce boundary layer separation using acoustic flow sensing, and applied various tufting techniques (including material selection, application methods, and imaging techniques) as an absolute measurement of boundary layer separation.
Daniela Davalos

Daniela L. Davalos

Danny is a first-generation college student who recently graduated from UC Davis in 2023 with a B.S. in mechanical and aerospace engineering. Danny has worked with the Inspection Sat team designing a deployment mechanism based on system requirements for a cubesat computer vision test bed.
Nathan Davis

Nathan Davis

Nathan worked on flow visualization techniques for vortex generators in the 12 inch low speed wind tunnel.
Logan Dunn

Logan Dunn

Logan is an undergraduate student majoring in Aerospace Engineering and developing computer vision and machine learning models for the Inspection CubeSat.
Natasha Evans

Natasha H Evans

Natasha is an undergraduate student working on the NASA JSC HDD CubeSat and Zero-G HDD project.
Miranda Godinez

Miranda Godinez

Miranda works on developing a deployment mechanism for a computer vision testbed for the Inspection CubeSat.
Samuel Gonzalez

Samuel Gonzalez

Samuel specializes in CAD and structural analysis and is currently working on developing a model for a space habitat mockup.
Jonathan Hale

Jonathan Hale

Jonathan is a fourth-year undergraduate student double majoring in Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering. In the HRVIP Lab, Jonathan performs a series of environmental tests on CubeSat subsystems, specifically HDDs
Ruby Houchens

Ruby Houchens

Ruby is an undergraduate researcher working on the CHANGES project to develop wearable countermeasure to space adaptation sickness.
Kimberly Jenks

Kimberly Jenks

Kimberly's research was concerned with long-duration astronaut training for critical and complex tasks.
Duncan Koelzer

Duncan Koelzer

Duncan is currently researching different options for an aerospace testbed to will be used to test our satellite equipment in a simulated zero-g environment.
Sara Langberg

Sara Langberg

Sara's research involved the early stages of the intelligent vortex generator project.
Abhay Mahindroo

Abhay Mahindroo

Abhay is an Undergraduate Electrical Engineering Intern currently working on a project that uses Hard Disk Drives as actuators and integrates Arduino sensors and a Raspberry Pi camera module to achieve precise orientation and speed control.
Bruno Matsui

Bruno Matsui

Bruno's research focused on the effectiveness of in-air sampling techniques for measuring chemical volatiles.
William Mazotti

Billy Mazotti

Billy is a 4th year undergraduate MAE student interested in deep space exploration with an emphasis in astronautic and mechatronic technologies.
Dzuy Nguyen

Dzuy Nguyen

Dzuy is an undergraduate student working on the NASA JSC HDD CubeSat and Zero-G HDD project by supporting the development of CubeSat designs.
Matthew N.

Matthew Norman

Matthew Norman is a senior undergraduate student majoring in Aerospace and Mechanical En-gineering, and will be developing software for the Air Bearing Table Computer Vision System.
Rina Onishi

Rina Onishi

Rina spent her undergraduate supporting conceptual design of an ISS space ambulance and viscous flow control using vortex generators.
Tanisha Potnis

Tanisha Potnis

Tanisha supported the Long Duration Astronaut Training (LDAT) pursuit by developing and performing human systems integration experiments.
Eddie Protassov

Eddie Protassov

Eddie works on developing a mechanism and conducting analysis for the Inspection CubeSat.
Michael Taylor

Michael Taylor

Michael is a fourth-year undergraduate majoring in Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering. He is currently researching and conducting Cubesat environmental testing, including thermal-vacuum and vibration testing.
Anna Valcarcel

Anna Valcarcel

Anna is a member of Chris Lorenzen’s satellite development team, working on a water-sublimation approach to active cooling for CubeSats
Preston Vanderpan

Preston Vanderpan

Preston is a 4th year undergraduate MAE student working on development of a wearable countermeasure to space adaptation sickness as part of the CHANGES project.
Donald Wang

Donald Wang

Donald was one of the founding members and first President of the Space and Satellite Systems club and also helped with research on the inspection cube satellite.

Associate Researcher Alumni

Tracy Corado

Tracy Corado

In conjunction with the Aerospace Museum of California, Tracy's work focused on designing an exhibition about the future of space flight for a fifth grade audience using exhibition design attributes to better engage girls in STEM.
Ben Eichholz

Ben Eichholz

Ben plans to combine his interests in space science and human systems engineering through Ph.D. research in human-machine integration.
Jennifer Gin

Jennifer Gin

Jennifer participated in HOME meetings regularly and worked on the new HRVIP website.

Artists in Residence Alumni

Alina H.

Alina Haque

  • Undergrad Artists in Residence
Alina is an undergraduate fourth year Art Major student! Her area of concentration is mixed media painting with an exploration of forms and color.
Maya

Maya Kennedy

  • Undergrad Artists in Residence
Maya is an undergraduate artist in residence.
Kyle T.

Kyle Taniguchi

  • Undergrad Artists in Residence
Kyle is a human-centered designer with experience with different design and art medium.