Dr. Fabio Bendana is a research scientist within the Propulsion Science department at The Aerospace Corporation. His primary role is to lead research, development, and testing efforts related to the advancement and application of chemical propulsion technology in support of national security and civil space programs. At Aerospace, he serves as the principal investigator on several active experimental efforts related to the advancement of liquid-propellant rocket engines and in-space chemical propulsion systems.
In addition to his role at Aerospace, Dr. Bendana is an instructor in the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering department at UCLA, where he teaches an undergraduate- and graduate-level course on Rocket Propulsion Systems. His course covers topics that include: fundamental combustion thermochemistry, mission and trajectory analysis, liquid-propellant rocket engines, solid rocket motors, hybrid rockets, electric propulsion, and more advanced propulsion concepts.
Dr. Bendana received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from UCLA working on novel laser-based sensing technologies for advanced reacting flows. Additionally, he holds an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from UCLA and a B.S. in both Aerospace Engineering and Mechanical Engineering from UCI. In addition to enjoying the technical aspects of his work, Dr. Bendana has a deep appreciation for mentorship. He serves on the Liquid Propulsion Technical Committee for the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and mentors students from various research groups across the country, including USC, MIT, UTSA, and UCLA.