Girisha Puri is a PhD candidate at the University of Sydney, undertaking research in collaboration with Hi-PR LS. She completed a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) in Aeronautical Engineering, majoring in Space, at the University of Sydney in June 2026, graduating with First Class Honours.
Girisha’s primary research interests lie in rocket propulsion, with a focus on propulsion performance modelling, computational fluid dynamics (CFD), and experimental investigation. Her undergraduate thesis, Development and Testing of a Passive Mixing Device in a Hybrid Rocket Engine, investigated methods to improve combustion efficiency and performance in hybrid rocket engines through passive flow mixing.
Girisha presented her thesis research at the AIAA Region VII Student Conference in 2025, where she received second place in the undergraduate category. She presented an extended version of this research at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) 2026 in Antalya, Türkiye, where she received first place in the undergraduate category.
Her PhD research will focus on solid rocket motor (SRM) thrust and performance modelling, combining computational simulations and experimental testing to improve the understanding and prediction of solid rocket motor performance.