Principal Investigator
Dr. Neelakshi Majumdar

Dr. Neelakshi Majumdar is an Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering (Aerospace Concentration) at the University of Arkansas and an affiliate faculty member of the Arkansas Center for Space and Planetary Sciences. She leads the Aerospace Systems Engineering and Transportation (ASYST) Lab. Dr. Majumdar’s research focuses to develop new strategies and tools to make aerospace, systems, and transportation safer by leveraging concepts from aerospace systems engineering, data analysis, machine learning, and human factors.
Dr. Majumdar received her M.S. and Ph.D. in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering from Purdue University with a focus on Aerospace Systems and Safety. She is an FAA Safety Team Representative, Senior Research Advisor at the Advanced Air Mobility Institute, and a member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). Dr. Majumdar is also a private pilot and has flown Cessna 172 and Piper Warrior for over 170 hours.
Personal website: https://www.neelakshi-majumdar.com
Graduate Students
Toluwalase Olatunji
Graduate Assistant
Toluwalase “Tolu” Olatunji is a graduate student in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Arkansas. She is originally from Nigeria and completed her Bachelor of Engineering degree at Afe Babalola University. Her current research interests include data analysis, machine learning, and aerospace systems.
Previously, Toluwalase interned at Earthview Nigeria Limited, where she worked on thermal simulations and finite element analysis. Currently, she is analyzing pilots’ flight data using a redbird flight simulator to assess their proficiency in energy management. In her free time, she enjoys watching movies, cooking, and spending quality time with family and friends.

Mehedi Hasan
Graduate Assistant
Mehedi Hasan is an MS student in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Arkansas. He is also the lead web designer for the ASYST lab. He is from Dhaka, Bangladesh, and completed his BS from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET). His current research interests include advanced air mobility (AAM), data analysis, and natural language processing. Mehedi has experience working with eVTOL and propulsion systems. He also interned at British American Tobacco Bangladesh during the summer of 2023. Mehedi also enjoys playing sports and video games, reading books, and spending quality time with friends and family.

Undergraduate Students
Adrian Alcantara
Adrian Alcantara is a Junior Honors Mechanical Engineering student at the University of Arkansas. His other extracurricular involvements include being a vice president for the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) on campus and a member of the Engineering Career Awareness Program (ECAP). His current research focuses on uncertainty within self-reporting incidents in aircraft. He also interned with Honeywell in the Summer of 2024. Outside of the classroom, he enjoys video games, reading, sports, and board games with friends and family.

Martin Hood
Martin Hood is a freshman honors student majoring in Mechanical Engineering, following the Aerospace concentration at the University of Arkansas. He is from Stafford, Virginia. His current research interests are hypersonic aircraft design, propulsion systems, human factors, and eVTOL. He is currently a member of the University of Arkansas Razorback Drumline and in his free time, likes to play video games and watch movies.

Ryker Davis
Ryker Davis is a senior in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Arkansas. He is from Walnut Ridge, Arkansas. His current research area interests are – Advance Air Mobility (AAM), data analysis and human factors in Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). Along with energy management in aircraft systems. Ryker has experience in metal working with lathes and cutting mills. He has also interned at Jonesboro Manufacturing in the summer of 2022. In his free time, he likes to hunt, fish, and spend quality time with friends and family.

Jesse Pham
Jesse Pham is a sophomore in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Arkansas. He is from Fort Smith, Arkansas. His current research interests are the design of airframes, risk assessment, and propulsion systems in the Aerospace industries. He has received the Dean’s and Chancellor’s awards for the 2023-2024 academic year. He also has received the Grant T. White Scholarship and the University of Arkansas Alumni Scholarship. Apart from studies, he likes playing video games, hunting, cooking, and creating plans to spend time with family and friends.

Kacey Haws
Kacey Haws is a senior in Computer Science at the University of Arkansas. They are from Springdale, Arkansas. Their current research interest is the intersection between computer science and the aerospace industry through AI. Previously, they worked at Realtra Space Systems Engineering in Dublin, Ireland, as an embedded systems intern, creating software tests for the European Space Agency’s PLATO project. For this, they were the sole student in the Honors College Internship in Dublin program, receiving the International Internship Grant. Kacey likes to compete with UARK Esports, serve on the executive board of Phi Sigma Rho, and spend time with their cat, Nova.

Lauren Westfall
Lauren Westfall is a Senior Honors student in the Mechanical Engineering Department. She has a specialized concentration in Aerospace. She received an Honors Research Grant for her research with the ASYST Laboratory for the 2024-25 school year and a Study Abroad Honors Grant for her study abroad course in Italy the Summer of 2022. She is a member and Director of Academics for the Engineering sorority, Phi Sigma Rho. She is the President of the Mechanical Engineering Honors Society, Pi Tau Sigma. Her research and thesis is on General Aviation Stall and Spin Accidents using the National Transportation Safety Board.

High School Students
Cole Kessman
Cole Kessman is a Junior at Haas Hall Academy. He moved from Los Angeles, California to Fayetteville, Arkansas. His research interests include mechanical engineering and data analytics. Cole is an avid tennis player who is a two-time 3A State Champion. In his free time, Cole enjoys playing and coaching tennis, painting, and traveling.

Harshith Guduru
Harshith is a rising senior in Bentonville High School, and is from Hyderabad, India. His research interests include computational biology, Machine Learning, LLMs, and large data analysis within the aerospace and health industries. Harshith previously worked as a data science intern for Walmart Global Tech, developing ML models that predicted inventory loss based on sales and product historical data. He has won multiple awards from science fairs (ISEF, hosa top 20 internationally) for his research in Atrial Fibrillation, where he developed an ensemble ML software and medical device that predicts the likelihood of an Afib patient getting a heart attack, and administers medicine accordingly. In his free time, he likes to bake, play basketball, play the violin, and spend time with his friends.

Previous Students
![]() | Sydney Sommers | Aviation Accident Analysis | BS Honors Thesis (May 2023) | Manufacturing Engineer, nVent |
![]() | Samson Parker | Advanced Air Mobility | BS Honors Thesis (May 2025) |
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![]() | Nina Kondur | Pilot Proficiency using Flight Simulator Experiments | Research Assistant (Jun–Aug 2024) |
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