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Ursache S.

Aerospace & Composites Design Engineer | CAD, FEM & CFD (Ansys, CATIA, Fusion 360)

Bucharest, Romania

Global rank:

19,781 / 144,710

Skill pts: 5

AutoCAD CAD Design Computational Fluid Dynamics Design for Manufacturing OpenRocket Simulator

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About

Mechanical and aerospace design engineer specialised in structural design, composite materials and CAD/CAE for high-performance applications.

As Structural Coordinator of the only Romanian student team at the Spaceport America Cup (IREC), I led the structural design, manufacturing and integration of fully student-built supersonic rockets that reached Mach 1.8 and about 9,700 m altitude, coordinating a multidisciplinary team of 15+ engineers through the complete design-to-production cycle.

What I can do for you:
- 3D CAD modelling and detailed design: CATIA, Fusion 360, AutoCAD
- FEA / FEM structural analysis and optimisation: Ansys Mechanical, Ansys Workbench, Ansys APDL
- CFD and aerodynamic analysis: Ansys Fluent, RASAero II, OpenRocket
- Composite and hybrid laminate design (carbon, glass, Kevlar): stacking sequence, layup, manufacturing and testing
- Design for manufacturing: FDM 3D printing, 3-axis CNC machining, turning
- Engineering software and automation: Python, JavaScript/TypeScript, data analysis and custom analysis tools

I am a PhD candidate in Mechanical Engineering at the National University of Science and Technology Politehnica Bucharest, researching the optimisation of hybrid polymer composites for supersonic rocket fuselages, with an MSc in Software Engineering and a BSc in Industrial Engineering from the same university. My work has been published and presented internationally (ScienceDirect, SSEA Munich, HPES, ESSIR), including flight-validated 3D-printed composite rocket structures.

I also developed CLSA, a web platform for preliminary composite laminate design that computes A, B and D stiffness matrices, runs failure and buckling checks, and uses an AI agent to propose laminate configurations from natural-language requirements.

I work in English and Romanian, communicate clearly, and deliver documented, manufacturable designs on schedule.

Experience

Software Developer & Cybersecurity Analyst Infosys Romania · Full-time Dec 2022 – Present 3 yrs 8 mos Bucharest, Romania Secure full-stack software development for enterprise environments, including aerospace applications, with a focus on security, performance and scalability.
- Build and maintain applications in Java (Spring Boot), Python and JavaScript/TypeScript (Node.js), with SQL databases and Git-based workflows
- Cybersecurity work covering cryptography, security architectures, attack types and vulnerability management (Qualys)
- Threat hunting and malware analysis using the Cyber Kill Chain and MITRE ATT&CK frameworks
- Automate engineering and reporting workflows with Python data-processing tools
Structural Design Coordinator (Aerospace Composites) 2Space Aeronautical Society · Part-time Dec 2021 – Present 4 yrs 8 mos Bucharest, Romania Coordinate the structural design, manufacturing and integration of fully student-built supersonic rockets (LUNA 2023, NOR 2024, YODA 2025) flown at the Spaceport America Cup, the largest international student rocketry competition.
- Lead a multidisciplinary team of 15+ engineers across structures, aerodynamics, propulsion and recovery
- Perform and validate FEM analyses (Ansys) for aerospace components, optimising the strength and stability of metallic and composite structures
- Develop CFD simulations and stress analyses to optimise aerodynamic and structural performance
- Design and manufacture composite structures in carbon fibre, glass fibre and Kevlar, reducing mass while increasing structural strength
- Manage the full design-to-production cycle against performance, reliability and manufacturing-quality requirements
Lecturer - Web Application Development University Politehnica of Bucharest - Faculty of Engineering in Foreign Languages · Part-time Feb 2025 – Jun 2025 4 mos Bucharest, Romania Taught the complete web application development lifecycle to engineering students, from user-interface design and application logic to database integration and deployment. Built a hands-on, collaborative learning environment in which students applied modern technologies and industry-relevant development practices to real-world projects.
Data Analyst Honeywell · Full-time Apr 2022 – Nov 2022 7 mos Bucharest, Romania Generated and delivered data-driven reports supporting decision-making and optimising the performance of Inside Sales teams. Identified and corrected inconsistencies in local reporting, improved data consistency, and streamlined reporting processes by aligning sales teams and providing structured information to partners.

Education

National University of Science and Technology Politehnica Bucharest PhD (in progress), Mechanical Engineering - hybrid composite materials for supersonic rocket structures 2024 – 2028 (expected) Doctoral research on the configurational optimisation of hybrid polymer composite materials used in the fuselage of a supersonic rocket, and on real-time computerised monitoring and guidance of the vehicle, aimed at improving mechanical performance during ascent and building an efficient ground-station data link.
National University of Science and Technology Politehnica Bucharest Master's Degree, Software Engineering 2022 – 2026 Thesis: Development of a Data Acquisition and Interpretation Application for a Sounding Rocket - a Python application interfacing with the onboard sensors of a sounding rocket, capturing real-time altitude, speed, temperature and atmospheric-composition data using specialised data-processing and analysis libraries.
National University of Science and Technology Politehnica Bucharest Bachelor's Degree, Industrial Engineering, 9 / 10 2018 – 2022 Thesis: Research on the Development of a 3D-Printed Robotic Arm Used for Sorting. Designed and built an articulated robotic arm that sorts objects by colour on an assembly line, integrating an AI-based vision module that detects and classifies objects in real time and generates the guidance signals for positioning and control of the arm.

Other experience

Conferences and presentations Symposium on Space Educational Activities (SSEA) 2026, Munich - presented the HAMERS concept, a modular and reusable experimental rocket system for suborbital missions and payload integration, and a reduced-scale Thrust Vector Control demonstrator for guidance, navigation and control of VTVL systems.
European Summer School on Information Retrieval (ESSIR) 2026, Bucharest - poster "AI-Assisted Composite Laminate Analysis for Preliminary Structural Design" in the Challenge Track, plus sessions on generative AI, RAG and agentic systems applied to composite-material analysis.
High Power Engineering Solutions (HPES) 2026 and 2025, Brasov - papers on the detailed analysis and optimisation of aerodynamic performance, drag management and structural integrity of an experimental sounding rocket equipped with an active airbrake system.
International Workshop on Numerical Modelling in Aerospace Sciences 2023, INCAS "Elie Carafoli", Bucharest - presentation on the structure and construction of the LUNA competition rocket.
PocketQube Workshop 2022 and PocketQube Conference 2023, Glasgow - presented the 2Space projects and the QUBE2SPACE competition, and the technical challenges of PocketQube technology.
SpaceTech Expo Europe 2023, Bremen.
Selected projects CLSA - Composite Laminate Structural Analysis (compositelaminate.eu, 2025 - present) - engineering web platform for the preliminary design and analysis of composite laminates: stacking-sequence definition, custom fibre-matrix material properties, calculation of the [A], [B] and [D] stiffness matrices, equivalent mechanical properties and real-time visualisation of laminate behaviour. An AI agent interprets requirements expressed in natural language and proposes laminate configurations, while a deterministic solver performs the structural calculations and strength checks.
Spaceport America Cup / IREC (2023 - present) - representing the only Romanian student team among 156 teams from 24 countries. Contributed to a fully student-designed and manufactured supersonic rocket reaching approximately Mach 2 and 9 km altitude; as Structural Coordinator, responsible for structural design, manufacturing and integration, optimising the response to aerodynamic loads and the composite-material laminate configuration.
QUBE2SPACE (2022 - 2024, Poli RoboFest) - organiser of the second edition of the first PocketQube satellite prototype competition for high-school students, with international participation from Estonia and the Republic of Moldova; the top three projects were awarded a launch aboard a 2Space supersonic rocket. students.2space.ro/qube2space
SpaceFEST (2023 - 2026) - organiser of one of the most important educational events dedicated to the space field on the POLITEHNICA Bucharest campus, coordinating technical activities and exhibitions focused on rockets and aerospace systems.
Publications Integrated Aero-Structural Design and Supersonic Flight Validation of a 3D-Printed Composite Rocket Nose Cone (ScienceDirect, 2026) - aero-structural design, FDM additive manufacturing in PET-G with internal glass-fibre/epoxy reinforcement, CFD simulations for supersonic flight and structural verification by FEA. Flight-tested on a full-scale rocket to approximately 9,772 m and Mach 1.7-1.8, with no cracks, delamination or permanent deformation on post-flight inspection.
High-Altitude Modular Experimental Rocket System (HAMERS): A Reusable Platform for Democratizing Suborbital Research and Education (SSEA, 2026) - reusable, modular experimental rocket for altitudes up to 100 km, integrating dedicated propulsion, payload, avionics and recovery modules.
A Thrust-Vector-Controlled UAV Demonstrator for Ground-Based Testing of Navigation and Control Algorithms for Reusable Rocket Systems (SSEA, 2026) - reduced-scale demonstrator with coaxial electric propulsion and two-axis thrust vectoring for safe testing of GNC and state-estimation algorithms for VTVL vehicles.
AI-Assisted Composite Laminate Analysis for Preliminary Structural Design (ESSIR, 2026) - CLSA web platform combining Classical Laminate Theory with failure, buckling, fatigue and thermal assessment, FEM cross-checks and export to industrial formats, plus an AI agent that generates laminate configurations from natural-language requirements. Validated through benchmarks, FEM comparisons and experimental tests on hybrid carbon-glass laminates.
Awards and competition prizes 1st Prize - EELISA Student Competition 2026, section Mobility, Autonomous Vehicles, Aviation and Space Technology, for the paper "Additive Manufacturing of a Bi-propellant Rocket Engine" (May 2026).
1st Place - Innovation Labs 2023, the national pre-acceleration and mentoring programme for start-ups, as a member of the winning Ophset team: CO2 capture using modular photobioreactors, converted into bioproducts and carbon credits.
2nd Prize - EELISA Student Competition 2023, section Smart Materials and Production, for "Supersonic Rocket Construction and Aerodynamic Analysis - Project LUNA", Pisa, Italy.

Licenses & Certifications

Data Analytics with Python Coursera Feb 2026 – Present See credential
Agentic AI and AI Agents: A Primer for Leaders Vanderbilt University Feb 2026 – Present See credential
Python for Data Science, AI & Development IBM Feb 2026 – Present See credential
Tools of the Trade: Linux and SQL Google Feb 2026 – Present See credential
Connect and Protect: Networks and Network Security Google Jan 2026 – Present
Play It Safe: Manage Security Risks Google Jan 2026 – Present See credential
Tripoli Level 2 (L2) High-Power Rocketry Certification Tripoli Rocketry Association (ACME Italia) Oct 2025 – Present
CC Domain 1: Security Principles ISC2 Sep 2025 – Present
Overview of SIEM Log Analysis of Devices Infosys May 2023 – Present
SOC - Threat Hunting and Malware Analysis Infosys Jan 2023 – Present