Dr. Thomas Sebastian is a senior staff member in the Structural and Thermal-Fluids Engineering Group at MIT Lincoln Laboratory. His expertise is in aerospace engineering and rapid prototyping and testing of complex systems. Currently, he is leading work on advanced concepts across a wide range of domains. Since joining MIT Lincoln Laboratory in 2012, Sebastian has served as the unit engineer, fluid mechanics and thermal engineering subject-matter expert, and chief engineer on a wide array of prototype vehicles and programs. He developed novel unmanned aerial vehicle airframes and propulsion systems for edge-case missions and applications, leading to several patents. He also assembled and led the Lincoln Laboratory and MIT campus team responsible for demonstrating the world's first flight of an ion-propelled fixed-wing aircraft. From 2019 to 2021, Sebastian was deployed to the Laboratory's Kwajalein Field Site. He played a key role in innovative technology development spanning a range of space operations and testing efforts, including extremely high-altitude and low-orbit concepts and orbital debris assessment. He also contributed to the Kwajalein Atoll Sustainability Laboratory, with the goal of developing a climate change adaptation testbed and maturing zero-carbon transportation options.
