10/22/2026 Debra Levey Larson
Written by Debra Levey Larson
Dillon Mulrooney and Callahan Eshleman were selected for the NASA Space Technology Graduate Research Opportunities program because of their potential to contribute to NASA’s goal of creating innovative new space technologies. They are both aerospace engineering Ph.D. students in The Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
This unique NASA program includes two main components. Recipients receive a grant toward their Ph.D. program, conducting research on campus during the academic year with their U. of I. advisor as the principal investigator. While working on their advanced degree, they will spend summers on a NASA site, paired with NASA subject matter expert, who serves as their research collaborator.
Dillon Mulrooney earned his B.S. in aerospace engineering from Illinois this past May and is now in a Ph.D. program with Francesco Panerai as his advisor. Mulrooney is a member of the Center for Hypersonics and Entry System Studies. The title of his research project is Internal Pressure in Pyrolyzing Ablators for Atmospheric Entry.
“My research is focused on developing experimental techniques for measuring the pressure inside the heat shields during atmospheric reentry,” Mulrooney said. “Quantifying internal pressure will allow us to update ablation models for pyrolysis gas transport within porous ablators and to understand the role of material microstructure on transport processes.”
Mulrooney has been matched with Olivia Schroeder, a research scientist in the aerothermodynamics branch of NASA Ames. Her work focuses on multi-physics modeling of entry systems.
“I’ll be at the NASA Ames Research Center this summer, where I’ll extend my work on ablator instrumentation to applications relevant to NASA missions and reentry capsules. I may work in other NASA centers for the remaining summers in my program.”
Callahan Eshleman earned his B.S. from North Carolina State University and is a Ph.D. student in Laura Villafañe Roca’s Turbulent and Multiphase Flow Research Lab. The title of his research project is Plume-Surface Interaction Experiments for Physics-Informed Ejecta Modeling.
“I am investigating the multi-phase flow phenomena which occur when a retrorocket plume impinges on a granular surface, dubbed plume-surface interactions,” Eshleman said. “This includes studying the under expanded flow physics, the erosion process and the resulting ejecta. I am hoping to perform a parametric study of each and create an experimentally data-driven model to help future efforts to predict these events.”
Eshleman was matched with Paul Danehy, a NASA senior technologist who is an expert in optical diagnostics. He is excited about being paired with Danehy because of the work he does on the first NASA instrument ever flown in space to study plume-surface interactions.
“He is a perfect fit for my project. He also oversees a group of research scientists working on advanced optical diagnostics at NASA Langley Research Center. I worked with their group during my undergrad degree as an intern, so it is a happy reunion.”
For the complete listing of 2026 recipients of the NSTGRO awards, visit https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/stmd/space-tech-research-grants/nstgro/nstgro-2026/