Paola Libraro is a 5th year PhD student in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Princeton University.  She is working on the design of next generation all-electric telecommunication satellites, with funding from a research grant funded by SES.  Arriving in the US with a Masters of Science in Astrophysics from the University of Bologna (Italy), Paola took on the challenge of catching herself up with undergraduate level courses in mechanical and aerospace engineering, in order to further her studies along the engineering, as opposed to Astrophysics track.  She did this while simultaneously beginning her PhD.  She was a participant in the Caltech Space Challenge where, in 2011, her team won the space system design competition.

Paola received SSPI's International Scholarship in 2014. 

Return to Scholarships