Mallory DeCoster

Mallory DeCoster received a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Denver (Denver, CO), an M.S. in Remote Sensing Intelligence from the Naval Postgraduate School (Monterey, CA), and a Ph.D. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from the University of Virginia (Charlottesville, VA). After her master's, she worked in the intelligence community within the department of defense in the development and application of remote sensing tools to the warfighter.  She has extensive experimental experience in laser-based optical thermometry as well as expertise in nano-to-macro scale thermal transport processes in functional materials. She also is a trained planetary scientist specializing in hypervelocity impact processes and dynamic failure of materials. Ongoing research interests include investigations into dynamic properties and failure/fragmentation mechanisms of brittle materials, impact cratering on planetary surfaces, modeling impact signature phenomenology, and planetary defense. Currently, Mallory is a Co-I on the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission and supports the DARPA Novel Orbital Manufacturing, Materials, and Mass-efficient Design (NOM4D) program towards developing foundational materials, manufacturing, and designs needed for in-space manufacture of large, precise, and resilient DoD systems. In addition, she is the PI for a NASA YORPD project in developing more efficient next-generation kinetic impactors.  

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