Student Spotlight: Zachary Dodge
September 12, 2022
Meet Zachary Dodge
Incoming PhD student
HOMETOWN
Seattle, Washington
WHERE I LIVED PRIOR TO STANFORD
Los Angeles, California and Reno, Nevada
ALMAE MATRES
Johns Hopkins University
UCLA
DEGREES & MAJORS
Master of Science, Mechanical Engineering
Master of Business Administration
Academic and work experience
I strongly believe that the most growth happens when approaching situations from multiple perspectives. As such, I have jointly pursued both my professional and academic careers in engineering. During my time at Johns Hopkins and the Applied Physics Lab, I focused on satellite architecture and control system optimization. In industry, my dedication has been on the design and development of aerospace subsystems.
My research will focus on improved integration of missions into the commercialization of space. My desire to contribute to the quantitative framework in this sector is what brought me to Stanford.
Impact I hope to have in my field and the world
I am passionate about optimizing the many variables around satellite constellation replenishment. There is a rapidly growing need for more systematic methods to support the overall design, decision-making, and risk analysis in space commercialization. My work will contribute to the inevitable challenges that come with the new era of satellite proliferation. Beyond this, I hope to build a greater toolset in order to offer the kind of extraordinary mentorship from which I have benefited throughout my career.
Interests and hobbies
My proudest role so far is being Dad to my beautiful daughter. I find so much joy and perspective in raising a child with my wife. I also enjoy traveling to new places. Some of my favorite activities are neighborhood walks with my family (including 2 dogs), surfing, snowboarding, and eating!