Ella Richardson

Undergraduate Student, Mechanical Engineering
Minor: Event and Meeting Management

What are you are studying/what you are interested in studying and/or researching while at Purdue? If you have done internships or other applicable experiences, feel free to include them here.

I am currently studying mechanical engineering at Purdue. I spent the summer after my sophomore year in Dr. McClain’s research group focusing on 3D printing multi material ceramics to be applied to rocket nozzles and thermal protection systems. In the fall, I will be joining the Resilient Extra-Terrestrial Habitats Institute to research resilient autonomous habitats to further develop technology for human space exploration.

What made you want to join the Leading Women Toward Space Careers program?

I wanted to join the Leading Women Toward Space Careers program because I have always been interested in space exploration and wanted to learn about opportunities to work in the space industry. I love hearing about the wide variety of career paths within this focus and was excited about the opportunity to engage with professionals in the field and dive into Purdue’s unique history with space.

What area would you like to work in after graduation? (What career path, interests, opportunities, etc., would you like to accomplish? What field are you interested in?)

After graduation, I would love to work in human space flight and exploration. With the upcoming Artemis missions returning humans to the moon, I am excited about what the future holds for human spaceflight. I would love to eventually work on missions to the moon, Mars, and beyond to provide astronauts the tools they need to research and survive in space.