Mary Dahl

Mary Dahl is a PhD candidate whose research interests involve using artificial intelligence to optimize CubeSat (small satellite) data collection, autonomous systems for the safe, on-orbit assembly of small satellites, and systems engineering for CubeSat missions. A MathWorks Fellowship will support Mary’s work to develop technologies for more effective data collection in space. Her current project is focused on the design of CubeSats for orbital wildfire prediction by integrating powerline emissions. MATLAB is a critical tool in Mary’s work, which she has applied to tasks such as experimental data analysis, machine learning algorithm development, and satellite constellation planning. Going forward, Mary plans to continue integrating MathWorks-based software into her wildfire prediction work and her sensor fusion platform for Earth observation. She will also make her work and custom MATLAB tools available to other researchers. Mary’s research could contribute to new technologies that advance space exploration and climate science.