Kristina Lemmer

Dr. Kristina Lemmer is a professor in Western Michigan University's Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. After joining WMU in 2012, she founded WMU's Aerospace Laboratory for Plasma Experiments (ALPE) and the Western Aerospace Launch Initiative (WALI). As the faculty mentor for WALI, Lemmer guides students through the satellite design, build, test, launch and operations processes for a Space Force research and design project.

A prolific researcher, she has received numerous awards, including  a Young Investigator Program Award from the U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the 2021 WMU Emerging Scholar Award for the most promising young researcher and the 2022 Outstanding Researcher for the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences. She has received over $4.5 million in external funding, and her research is funded by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, National Science Foundation, Air Force Research Laboratory, NASA, and the Michigan Space Grant Consortium. 

Lemmer received her Ph.D. from the University of Michigan in aerospace engineering specializing in plasma dynamics and electric spacecraft propulsion. She is on the board of directors for the Electric Rocket Propulsion Society and serves as the vice chair for the Electric Propulsion Technical Committee of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). Dr. Lemmer is an associate fellow in AIAA.

Learn about Lemmer's research.