Bio

Incoming first year M.S. student in AeroAstro Engineering. Experiences as a GNC and Systems Engineer and as a Satellite Operator from internships at Starfish Space, Planet Labs, and ViaSat. Prior research in optimization methods through the LSDO Lab at UCSD, and significant collaborative and technical skills learned from multiple project teams.

Honors & Awards

  • Magna Cum Laude (3.96), University of California, San Diego (06/12/2026)

Education & Certifications

  • Bachelor of Science, University of California, San Diego, Aerospace Engineering (2026)

Contact

  • Academic
    ajburns@stanford.edu
    University - Student Department: Aeronautics and Astronautics Position: Graduate

Additional Info

Links

Projects

  • UCSD Capstone: Conceptual Design of a Blended Wing Body Aircraft, University of California, San Diego (1/5/2026 - 3/13/2026)

    UC San Diego’s senior capstone project to design a more fuel efficient 250 passenger commercial aircraft. Developed a script integrating OpenVSP for parametric geometry generation and MIT's AVL for extended vortex lattice aerodynamic modeling to evaluate aircraft designs from key design parameters. Applied a gradient-free Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm via the PySwarms library to maximize the cruise lift-to-drag ratio while satisfying structural stress, static margin, and Code E airport span limits. Additionally, a large-scale Monte Carlo sensitivity analysis using Latin Hypercube sampling was conducted to map the full design space, establish parameter correlations, and validate structural feasibility

    Location

    La Jolla, California

    For More Information:

Lab Affiliations

Work Experience

  • Guidance, Navigation, & Control Intern, Starfish Space (June 22, 2026 - August 21, 2026)

    Developing GNC and computer vision software for autonomous satellite rendezvous, proximity operations, and docking (RPOD) using Python/C++, including synthetic imagery generation, ML model training, and 6-DOF Monte Carlo simulation analysis.

    Location

    Seattle, Washington

  • Spacecraft Systems Engineering Intern, Planet Labs (June 23, 2025 - September 12, 2025)

    Spacecraft systems analysis, risk reduction, and environmental testing support for the Pelican Block II program (GNC, Power, Structural).

    Location

    San Francisco, California

  • Satellite Operations Specialist, ViaSat (June 1, 2023 - June 1, 2025)

    Developed operations tools and supported flight dynamics activities including station-keeping optimization and anomaly mitigation.

    Location

    Carlsbad, California