11/14/2025
“Former DOE Fellow Reaching for the Stars”
The FIU's Applied Research Center is extremely proud of the amazing accomplishments of our former , Denisse Aranda. Denisse was a member of the inaugural cohort of Florida International University DOE Fellows inducted in 2007. As a DOE Fellow, Denisse conducted experimental and numerical work to predict the behavior of High-Level radioactive waste stored at the U.S. U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) facilities in Richland, WA. In Summer 2008, Denisse interned at DOE’s Headquarters in Washington, D.C., where she worked in the Environmental Management Division. Denisse obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in mathematics from FIU in 2010. After her graduation, she left the DOE program to pursue a Master’s degree at Virginia Tech, where she studied Aerospace Engineering with a specialization in dynamics and controls. Denisse passion for space science led to her first fulltime job at NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. Currently, Denisse works as a Principal Space Systems Contamination Control Engineer at Blue Origin where she leads the team that keeps Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket and its payload free of contamination before, during and after the launch.
“We are so very proud of Denisse. Her contributions to the DOE Fellow program were invaluable. She has always reached for the stars with passion and GANAS." Says Dr. Leo Lagos, DOE Fellows Program director.
We’re proud to highlight the remarkable journey of Denisse Aranda (’10), an alumna of Florida International University (FIU) who has reached a major milestone in her career as a principal […]
