Nikita Kovalov
Aerospace Engineering & Computer Science Student at UIUC | Bridging Reinforcement Learning, CFD, and Aerospace Design
About Me
I'm an Aerospace Engineering major with a minor in Computer Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. My work sits at the intersection of computational fluid dynamics, reinforcement learning for robotics, and hands-on aerospace design. I'm deeply interested in how mathematical optimization and policy gradients can translate to real-world locomotion and flight control systems. Outside the lab, I lead technical programming for aerospace organizations, teaching rocketry and CFD to the next generation of engineers.
Education
B.S. Aerospace Engineering | GPA: 3.35/4.00
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Minor in Computer Science
Aerospace Structures | Compressible Flow | Aerospace Control Systems | CFD / Applied CFD | Aircraft Flight Mechanics
Technical Proficiency
Simulation & CFD
Programming & Tools
Manufacturing & Languages
Research & Experience
2nd Place — FAR Unlimited 2024
Recognized for outstanding achievement in the Unlimited class competition at the 2024 FAR nationals, demonstrating excellence in high-power rocketry design and performance.
Undergraduate Researcher | LIRA
Investigated PPO mathematical foundations and trained controllers for differential-drive robots in Isaac Sim, developing full-state logging pipelines and diagnosing locomotion instability.
L1 Certified Mentor | Liquid Rocketry Initiative
Served as the L1 certified mentor for the Flight Vehicle team, enabling the club to conduct their first trial rocket launch and guiding the design of a roll-controlled rocket.
Manufacturing Ops Shadow | Watson's Profiling Corp
Shadowed engineers and machinists in an aircraft-parts production shop, observing how 5-axis CNC mills were used to machine flight hardware in a production environment.