With over 80 active members consisting of undergraduate and graduate students across engineering, the college, and Wharton, Penn AiR fosters a diverse community interested in pushing the boundaries of sustainable, autonomous aviation.
Leadership Team:
President: Xiangyu is a senior from Grand Rapids, MI studying Mechanical Engineering & Robotics. He oversees all projects on the team but specializes in structural design. He’s also a Magic: the Gathering collector and has a full uncut production sheet hang up on his wall!Mechanical Co-lead: Ajay ShethVP of Sponsorships: Tina is a junior studying chemical engineering & mechanical engineering. She is the VP of Sponsorships, and also leads the mechanical wing/tail sub team. A dedicated Rubik’s Cube athlete, she now finds herself close to retirement—because the lingering glue from aircraft manufacturing makes solving a sticky challenge.Software Co-Lead: Ethan is a junior from Campbell, CA studying Computer Science. As Software Co-Lead, he spends his time telling software members what to do and reviewing their PRs. He is an avid gamer and plays for the Penn Valorant team as their duelist.VP of Finance: Avaniko is a junior from Dallas, TX, studying Mechanical Engineering and Robotics. He is the Vice President of Finance and Path Planning subteam lead on the software team. He is 6’6″ standing on his money (club dues).Mechanical Co-lead: Yinjie (Kevin) is a mechanical engineering junior from Beijing, China. He is one of the mechanical leads and is responsible for managing mechanical team timelines. His face turned completely red at comp for not putting on sunscreen (fun but wasn’t fun).Software Co-Lead: AlanVP of Operations: Sakshi is a senior from Wayne, NJ studying bioengineering and neuroscience. She has been on multiple mechanical subteams during her time on the team, and is currently in operations as the VP of Operations. She is a big fan of the Cars franchise and is willing to die on the hill that Cars 2 is a great movie.VP of Marketing: Madison
Operations Team:
Mingni is a freshman from Baltimore, Maryland studying computer science and economics. She is a member of the operations team. She enjoys staying up all night instead of sleeping and blasting ABBA on the stair master.Apurva is a freshman from Montville, NJ studying computer science. He is a member of the operations team and is responsible for running the website. He is a avid gamer and has qualified for the Fortnite Champion Series twice, but still gets mogged by his twin sisterAvaniko is a junior from Dallas, TX, studying Mechanical Engineering and Robotics. He is the Vice President of Finance and Path Planning subteam lead on the software team. He is 6’6″ standing on his money (club dues).Tina is a junior studying chemical engineering & mechanical engineering. She is the VP of Sponsorships, and also leads the mechanical wing/tail sub team. A dedicated Rubik’s Cube athlete, she now finds herself close to retirement—because the lingering glue from aircraft manufacturing makes solving a sticky challenge.Xiangyu is a senior from Grand Rapids, MI studying Mechanical Engineering & Robotics. He oversees all projects on the team but specializes in structural design. He’s also a Magic: the Gathering collector and has a full uncut production sheet hang up on his wall!ReneeSakshi is a senior from Wayne, NJ studying bioengineering and neuroscience. She has been on multiple mechanical subteams during her time on the team, and is currently in operations as the VP of Operations. She is a big fan of the Cars franchise and is willing to die on the hill that Cars 2 is a great movie.Michelle is a sophomore from Philadelphia, PA, studying Finance. In her free time, she enjoys exploring coffee shops in the city. Did you know Michelle’s current favorite Jellycat is the Amuseables Peanut.Trinity is a sophomore from Holmdel, NJ studying Finance and Business Economics & Public Policy at Wharton. Within the Operations Team, Trinity manages outreach to corporations, alumni, and publicity opportunities. Fun fact: her dream pet is a sphinx cat 🙂
Software team:
Software Co-Lead: Ethan is a junior from Campbell, CA studying Computer Science. As Software Co-Lead, he spends his time telling software members what to do and reviewing their PRs. He is an avid gamer and plays for the Penn Valorant team as their duelist.RishiKaitian is a first year master student majoring in Robotics. He is a member of the software team and mainly responsible for the simulation system and also designing algorithms for vision and control. He has experiences in robots in the water (Robotic fish), on the ground (F1/10 auto-racing car), in the sky (Drones and our Penn Air planes), and also on the desk (Franka arm)! He travelled to Puerto Rico last winter and begun to learn some Spanish!Belle is a freshman from La Canada, CA majoring in computer science with a minor in statistics. They are a member of the software team and are in charge of setting up the simulator for the plane as well as organizing the communication between the ground control station (GCS) and the PX4 autopilot. In their free time, Belle loves exploring Philadelphia, eating good food, and trying different restaurants with their friends on the weekend.KaitlynArjunDavid is a Junior from Bethesda, MD studying Computer Science. He carries the software team on his back. He is also the number one ranked intramural player at Penn.Software Co-Lead: AlanKevin is a freshman from Deerfield, Illinois studying computer science. He is on the planning and controls subteams on the software team. He enjoys origami in his spare time.Satya is a freshman from MD studying computer science. He is a member of the software team working on computer vision for the SAE Advanced Class vehicle. He likes to spend time in nature, whether it be hiking through trails or camping at a local park.Avaniko is a junior from Dallas, TX, studying Mechanical Engineering and Robotics. He is the Vice President of Finance and Path Planning subteam lead on the software team. He is 6’6″ standing on his money (club dues).Vaughan is a graduate student from South Jersey studying Data Science. He lovingly refers to his Toyota Camry as “The Camborghini.”
Mechanical Team:
Xiangyu is a senior from Grand Rapids, MI studying Mechanical Engineering & Robotics. He oversees all projects on the team but specializes in structural design. He’s also a Magic: the Gathering collector and has a full uncut production sheet hang up on his wall!Yinjie (Kevin) is a mechanical engineering junior from Beijing, China. He is one of the mechanical leads and is responsible for managing mechanical team timelines. His face turned completely red at comp for not putting on sunscreen (fun but wasn’t fun).Ajay ShethWing/Tail Subteam Lead: Tina is a junior studying chemical engineering & mechanical engineering. She is the VP of Sponsorships, and also leads the mechanical wing/tail sub team. A dedicated Rubik’s Cube athlete, she now finds herself close to retirement—because the lingering glue from aircraft manufacturing makes solving a sticky challenge.Lily is a sophomore from Shanghai, China studying MEAM. She’s a member of the mechanical team fuselage subteam. She has 3 chinchillas and 2 turtles (both, by estimation, older than her) as pets at home 🙂ShivaniFuselage Subteam Lead: Ayan is a sophomore from San Ramon, CA studying Electrical Engineering and submatting in Robotics. He is the fuselage subteam lead (which is the best subteam). Ayan also believes (purely through estimate and without any real backing) that he is more physically fit than 90-95% of people (if you count babies and the elderly).Connor Mundheim is a freshman from Larchmont, NY studying mechanical engineering. He is a member of the mechanical team and focused on the advanced class aircraft. He is a private pilot and flew a plane alone before he drove a car alone.SunnyEnya is a freshman studying mechanical engineering. She likes writing and has been posting her thoughts publicly for 3 years.LucusJeremy is a freshman from Potomac, MD studying Electrical Engineering. He is a member of the Electrical team and is responsible for testing the motors and propellers used during flight. He is not only just a tennis fan but also ballboys for a professional tennis tournament every summer.GautamSydney is a sophomore studying computer engineering from Poughkeepsie, NY. On the electrical subteam since freshman year, she helps with circuit design, thrust testing, and optimization. She hopes to pursue a career in aerospace or the automotive industry following graduation.EliasStone is a Freshman from the Philly Suburbs studying Mechanical Engineering. He is a member of the Fuselage team helping with CAD and constructing the plane.DanielKristian is a sophomore from Philadelphia, PA, studying Computer Science. As a member of the Electrical team, he is responsible for collecting motor thrust data and crimping wires.Mohit is a sophomore from South Brunswick, NJ studying computer engineering and robotics. He is a member of the Electrical team and focuses on ESC and motor testing. He is also a CIS 1600 TA and loves doing the crossword in his free time.Aadam is a freshman from Boston, MA studying electrical engineering and math through the VIPER program. He is a member of the electrical team and is interested in system optimization, computer architecture, and signal processing. He has always wanted to learn how to fly a plane, but has not yet built up the confidence.Connor is a sophomore from San Diego, CA studying mechanical engineering. He is a member of the wing and tail subteam and the R&D subteam. His hobbies include astrophotography, photography, amateur astronomy, as well as building R/C planes.Thomas Liu is a cracked freshman from NJ studying EECS. He occasionally works on the Electrical team and assists with the development of hardware and mechanical components for both aircraft. He likes food, travel, and sports and needs to actually lock in.Electrical Subteam Lead: Brandon is a sophomore from Long Island, NY studying Finance and Electrical Engineering. He is the electrical subteam lead and is responsible for making sure all the electronics are working properly. He went to Italy last summer.Jerry is a freshman from Nashville, TN studying electrical engineering. He is a member of the electrical team and worked on the creation of both the advanced and regular class planes. He once fainted in a combination world war 2 memorial and farmer’s market while touching a weird ball.
