Brody Gatza

Brody Gatza is a 2024-2028 Self Graduate Fellow from Olathe, KS, pursuing a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering. During his first year of graduate study, he was a Self Memorial Scholar and a First Year Dean’s Fellow. He earned a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Kansas in 2023, also graduating from the University Honors Program. Brody has helped lead the university’s CubeSat program for four years, helping put KU’s first CubeSat into space and leading the effort to submit a proposal to NASA for the team’s second CubeSat mission. Brody also started a student organization that is developing KU’s first rocket engine in over a decade. His research focus is on developing and applying reduced-order modeling methodologies for rocket engine combustion simulations. He has been conducting his research under the guidance of Dr. Cheng Huang. Brody’s goal is to make advancements in the simulation process to enable a cheaper and faster method of developing rocket engines. Outside of KU, Brody has completed an internship at NASA where he worked on combustion modeling for the next generation of rocket engines. After completing his Ph.D., Brody plans to use his skills to help advance the space industry and allow humans to venture further into space than ever before. 

Mentor: Dr. Cheng Huang, Assistant Professor