Madison Taylor Hobbs

Madison Taylor Hobbs is a graduate student in aeronautics and astronautics working to improve communication reliability in hypersonic vehicles. Her research addresses the challenge of plasma-induced blackouts resulting from hypersonic wakes that disrupt signal transmission during high-speed flight. As a MathWorks Fellow, Madison will develop a coupled computational framework that integrates NASA’s LAURA fluid solver with MATLAB-based enhancements to material response modeling, supporting automated geometry adaptation and sensitivity-driven uncertainty quantification. By simulating the geometric and chemical transformations that occur during surface ablation, she aims to generate higher-fidelity predictions of electron density in hypersonic wakes. Her framework leverages MATLAB’s Partial Differential Equation and Image Processing Toolboxes, along with optimization routines from the Statistics and Global Optimization Toolboxes. It also introduces new capabilities for dynamic mesh evolution and ablation visualization. Through this work, Madison seeks to quantify the impact of material response and surface evolution on wake formation and identify the ablation thresholds that trigger ionization. Her contributions could advance hypersonic vehicle design and enable more resilient in-flight communication systems.