Mentoring & Teaching

"Independence does not mean working alone. My goal is to help students learn what to do, why they are doing it, and when to ask for another perspective."

Mentoring is one of the parts of being a professor that I value most. My goal is to help students become confident, creative, and independent researchers while making sure they know that independence does not mean having to solve every difficult problem alone.

I try to provide the kind of research environment that I appreciated as a PhD student myself: technically ambitious, but calm and supportive; enough freedom to develop ideas independently, but an advisor who is available when another perspective can help. I care about strong research and meaningful progress, but I also want students to enjoy this stage of their lives beyond the university.

What Working With Me Looks Like

Guided Independence

I want students to think through difficult problems and try solutions on their own, without feeling that they have to struggle alone. I want students to feel comfortable reaching out, stopping by my office, or asking to brainstorm when another perspective would help, without the need for a recurring meeting schedule or constant progress checks.

Freedom to Explore

I want students to bring forward ideas that I did not think of myself and gradually take ownership of their research. Even when an idea does not work as expected, pursuing it thoughtfully is valuable: research is about proposing ideas, testing them, learning from the results, and deciding what to try next.

Work-Life Balance

I care about consistent progress, responsibility, and good research, not about counting hours in the lab. Some deadlines will naturally require an extra push, but overall I strongly value work-life balance and want students to enjoy this stage of their lives not only as researchers, but also as people.

Mentoring Experience

PhD Research Mentoring

A. Garzelli, University of Seville — research on stochastic optimal control for spacecraft rendezvous and UAV guidance.
L. Ramponi, University of Arizona — research on machine learning for space-domain-awareness applications.

Undergraduate & M.S. Theses Co-Advised

F. Gettatelli (2023), “Convex Optimization of Ascent and Powered Descent of a Reusable Launch Vehicle”, M.Sc., Sapienza University of Rome
A. Capelle Domínguez (2023), “Convex Optimization of Powered Guided Landing on Mars”, B.Sc., Sapienza University of Rome
I. Llansó y Pérez (2022), “Convex Optimization of ΔV-EGA Interplanetary Trajectories”, B.Sc., Sapienza University of Rome
A. Vittori (2021), “Convex Optimization of Mars Descent Trajectories”, B.Sc., Sapienza University of Rome

Teaching at Oklahoma State University

My teaching follows the same philosophy as my mentoring: students learn best when they actively work through problems, test ideas, receive constructive feedback, and gradually take ownership of their learning.

Fall 2026
MAE 4283/5080 — Aerospace Vehicle Stability and Control
Oklahoma State University

Senior undergraduate and graduate-level course covering the principles used to analyze the stability, dynamics, and control of aerospace vehicles.

Previous Instructional Experience

Spring 2025
Co-Instructor — SIE 496/596: Robotic Systems
University of Arizona

Designed and delivered a 4-week module on the Robot Operating System (ROS) for a mixed senior undergraduate and graduate course.