Myrella Cabral

Myrella Cabral is a graduate student in aeronautics and astronautics, working at the forefront of hypersonic vehicle design. Her research advances understanding of how structural panels behave under the extreme fluid, thermal, and structural loads encountered at hypersonic speeds. Specifically, Myrella is developing computational models to predict nonlinear fluid-thermo-structural responses in compliant panels subjected to high-temperature gradients and unsteady aerodynamics. These models aim to uncover how structural vibrations interact with boundary layers and inform future experimental design. Her current work builds upon experimental studies, leveraging data from Mach 6 wind tunnel experiments. With her second MathWorks Fellowship, Myrella will refine a reduced-order model that integrates unsteady computational fluid dynamics data with structural solvers developed entirely in MATLAB. Her use of MathWorks tools enables the robust analysis of complex aeroelastic phenomena, helping pave the way for safer and more efficient hypersonic systems. Myrella’s contributions could influence vehicle design and testing strategies across aerospace research and defense sectors.