When asked to explain his research to those outside his field, graduate student Allan Shtofenmakher often starts with a thought-provoking question: “Have you ever watched the movie ‘Wall-E’?” He recalls the dystopian vision of Earth depicted in the 2008 Disney-Pixar film, where the planet is shrouded in a hazy layer of debris and surrounded by heaps of space junk. “If we don’t manage our local space environment wisely,” he warns, “we might find ourselves in a similar predicament, where launching anything into space becomes virtually impossible due to clutter and pollution.”
Shtofenmakher is pursing his PhD in the Dynamics, Infrastructure Networks, and Mobility (DINaMo) research group at MIT, mentored by Hamsa Balakrishnan, the William E. Leonhard Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics and associate dean of MIT’s School of Engineering. “Much of my research centers on ensuring that space remains sustainable,” he explains. Collisions between satellites and spent rocket stages can scatter debris at lethal speeds, creating a hazardous environment conducive to further collisions. This vicious cycle contributes to a rapidly deteriorating space landscape, threatening future missions.
His work focuses on enhancing space situational awareness and managing multi-agent systems. Shtofenmakher is actively engaged in innovative methods like mixed-integer programming and multi-agent reinforcement learning to improve our ability to track and avoid hazards in Earth’s orbit, where objects can travel ten times faster than a bullet. “My aim is to harness the imaging capabilities of thousands of active satellites orbiting Earth to keep our orbital environment clean and sustainable for future generations of explorers,” he emphasizes.
With a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from the University of California, Irvine, and a master’s in aeronautics and astronautics from Stanford, Shtofenmakher has hands-on experience as a spacecraft systems engineer on various small satellite projects. “I returned to graduate school to tackle the challenges inherent in distributed satellite networks,” he reflects. “I chose MIT AeroAstro for its deep expertise in satellite and multi-agent systems.”
“My past research was broad and covered diverse areas of aerospace engineering, but I desired to specialize—specifically in controls and optimization,” he shares.
A Transformative Conversation
Initially, Shtofenmakher envisioned working directly with small spacecraft like CubeSats—affordable, student-designed satellites capable of conducting innovative experiments in space. However, a conversation with Balakrishnan altered his trajectory. Transitioning her research focus from air traffic control to space exploration, she recognized the value of his background and invited him to join her team.
“Hamsa’s expertise lies in multi-agent optimization,” he explains. “For instance, when a fleet of drones must accomplish various tasks, how can we optimize their deployment to minimize fuel usage?” While this differs from the control of individual CubeSats, Shtofenmakher is acquiring invaluable skills applicable across different domains, including autonomous vehicles, drone networks, and distributed satellite systems.
Essential Fellowship Support
In his second year at MIT, Shtofenmakher was honored with an endowed fellowship in memory of the late Arthur Gelb ScD ’61, a distinguished entrepreneur and philanthropist. “Receiving the Art Gelb Fellowship allowed me the freedom to pursue my research passions fully,” he states. Without this funding, he could have been spending about 20 hours weekly on unrelated projects instead of focusing entirely on his research objectives.
Regrettably, Shtofenmakher never had the chance to meet Gelb, who passed away in 2023, but he feels a connection given their similar backgrounds as children of immigrants who deeply valued education. Growing up in California, he shares, “My parents worked tirelessly so that I could secure a good education, which was their ultimate aspiration for me.”
Balancing Work and Life
While Shtofenmakher remains dedicated to his research, he also recognizes the importance of work-life balance. Serving as the co-president of AeroAstro’s department Resources for Easing Friction and Stress (dREFS), he advocates for graduate student mental health and helps fellow students establish healthy boundaries with their research commitments. Alongside departmental support, he and his peers transformed a storage space into the AeroAstro graduate student lounge, now a hub featuring comfortable seating and a flat-screen TV for social gatherings.
Outside of academia, Shtofenmakher enjoys sailing and skateboarding along the scenic Charles River. “I can easily reach out to friends to hang out at the Banana Lounge, play ping-pong, or grab a bite after class,” he notes. He has also developed a keen interest in bartending, which he humorously claims is the most artistic outlet for his analytical mindset. “Mixology is as close as I get to art with my double left brain,” he laughs.
Photo credit & article inspired by: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
