DANIEL OROPEZA

Daniel Oropeza is a Ph.D. candidate in Mechanical Engineering with a concentration in Additive Manufacturing at MIT. His research focuses on developing novel concepts and understanding process fundamentals for powder-based additive manufacturing with the aim of improving metal and ceramic components by controlling precursor material synthesis, machine design, and manufacturing parameters. He is also a NASA Space Technology Research Fellow and an Alfred P. Sloan Scholar. Daniel received a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering, Summa Cum Laude, from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Science in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Stanford University. He is a passionate volunteer and mentor for students from underrepresented minorities through his work in MIT’s Diversity Initiatives, Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program, Mechanical Engineering Diversity Task Force, and Boston’s Civil Air Patrol. Daniel hopes to continue to support and guide students of all backgrounds towards STEM fields and advance the field of materials and manufacturing of aerospace structures throughout his career.

• D. Oropeza, D.C. Hofmann, K. Williams, S. Firdosy, P. Bordeenithikasem, M. Sokoluk, M. Liese, J. Liu, X. Li. “Welding and Additive Manufacturing with Nanoparticle-Enhanced Aluminum 7075 Wire.” J. of Alloys and Compounds (2020).
• D. Oropeza, S. Geng, M. Halbig, A.J. Hart, M. Singh. “Binder Jetting of Soft Magnetic Materials for Aircraft Electric Propulsion.” 43rd International Conference on Advanced Ceramics and Composites (2019).
• Y.H. Li, S.J. Kim, R. Nardari, D. Oropeza, F.K. Chang. “Development of High Performance BS-PT Based Piezoelectric Transducer for Structural Health Monitoring of High-Temperature Polymer-Matrix Composite Structures.” Proceedings of the 9th International Workshop on Structural Health Monitoring (2013).

• NASA Space Technology Research Fellowship – Fall 2017 to Present
• Alfred P. Sloan Foundation’s Minority Ph.D. Program – Fall 2016 to Present
• Zakhartchenko Fellowship – Fall 2018
• MIT Department of Mechanical Engineering Ain A. Sonin Graduate Fellowship – Fall 2016
• Stanford Departmental Fellowship – Fall 2012 to Fall 2013