Matt Corrado

I’m Matt Corrado, an aerospace engineer and current PhD student in Space Propulsion at MIT.

I started grad school at MIT in the fall of 2020 after graduating with a bachelor’s degree from Georgia Tech. I completed my master’s degree in 2022 with my thesis titled Active Thermal Augmentation and Ultra Dense MEMS-Based Electrospray Thrusters. Since then, I’ve continued as a PhD candidate in the Space Propulsion Lab under Prof. Paulo Lozano.

My research focus is in electrospray thrusters, a type of highly efficient and scalable electric propulsion. I’m working on methods for and investigating the effects of increasing the thrust density of electrospray thrusters to make them a more attractive propulsion option for a wider range of space missions.

Previously, I did research as an undergrad in the High-Power Electric Propulsion Lab at Georgia Tech. Also while an undergrad, I led student groups and engineering competition teams, and I completed internships at SpaceX, NASA, and The Aerospace Corporation.