Maria Kechri

Graduate Student

mkechri@caltech.edu

Maria joined the Space Structures Laboratory (SSL) in the summer of 2023, after receiving a Master's degree in Space Engineering at Caltech.

She earned a Bachelor with an integrated Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering from the National Technical University of Athens, Greece (NTUA) in 2022. The first project she worked on related to the design of lattice structures suitable for use as infills for lightweight friction discs with enhanced cooling properties.  Afterwards, her research focused on developing a finite element code for studying the propagation of cracks on the interface of coating-substrate systems.

Currently, Maria is conducting research on the dynamics of the deployment of lightweight, flexible, thin-shell structures. Specifically, her goal is to ensure a robust and predictable deployment for the structure used in the Caltech Space Solar Power Project (SSPP).