Mandere Capelo

Conducts doctoral research on hypervelocity impact, space debris protection, and computational material modeling for high-strain-rate aerospace applications. Develops and validates physics-based constitutive models for dynamic deformation under extreme loading conditions, with implementation in LS-DYNA user material subroutines and numerical post-processing workflows.

Supported undergraduate and graduate instruction in mechanical properties of materials, with emphasis on deformation, material behavior, and structure-property relationships. Led tutorials, assisted with course assessments, and provided individualized feedback to strengthen students' analytical and technical communication skills.

Supported computational modeling and simulation studies related to hypervelocity impact phenomena and space debris mitigation. Assisted with simulation setup, parameter studies, data analysis, and validation of numerical models.

Engaged University at Buffalo alumni and donors to support scholarships, campus initiatives, and university programs. Built communication and relationship-management skills through outreach to alumni across diverse academic and professional backgrounds.

Evaluated senior engineering design reports and project submissions for MAE 451: Design Process & Methods. Provided structured feedback on engineering design methodology, technical communication, and project execution.

Developed 3D building and product models to support customer presentations, product communication, and investor-facing materials. Supported the company's first product launch event by communicating technical features and product value to potential clients and stakeholders.

Contributed to an Indo-Russian research project focused on multifactorial computational modeling of solid propellant combustion. Applied data science and machine learning methods to analyze combustion behavior and support predictive modeling of propellant performance.

Completed a full-time research internship at KAIST focused on energetic materials, solid propellant development, and space debris recycling concepts. Conducted research on the application of the Energetic Materials Genome approach for developing solid propellants from space debris recycling pathways.

Conducted undergraduate research on conceptual aerospace propulsion systems for planet lander and soft-landing applications. Developed conceptual designs and preliminary computational models to evaluate feasibility, system behavior, and operational safety.

Doctor of Philosophy in Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical/Space Engineering, expected completion in May 2027.

Master's degree in Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering from 2020 to 2024.

Bachelor of Engineering in Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering from 2016 to 2020.