Meet the Team
Max Kuhlman
AIAA Secretary
Rice Flight Team Captain
Max is a senior majoring in electrical and computer engineering. He is from the town of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and enjoys running, biking, and playing ultimate frisbee in his free time. He joined the AIAA chapter and Rice Flight in the fall of 2023, and has worked on everying from avionics and software to structural design and manufacturing in his time on the team.
Ian Schechter
Rice Flight Design Lead
Ian is a sophomore majoring in mechanical engineering. He hails from the town of Denton, Texas, and likes to write, play board games, and go camping when he can. He has been involved in Rice Flight for a year now, working on manufacturing, design and anything else that needs to get done.
Ryan Mattana
AIAA Treasurer
Rice Flight Aerodynamics Specialist
Ryan is a junior mechanical engineer who is passionate about aerospace. He is from Geneva, Switzerlad and loves running, boxing, and biking. He joined AIAA freshman year and has spent time helping out on most things that have to do with aerodynamics.
Cristiana de Sousa
Rice Flight Simulations Specialist
Gerald Lu
Rice Flight Software Specialist
Nikhil Ashri
Rice Flight Avionics Specialist
Nikhil is a sophomore majoring in electrical and computer engineering from Charlotte, North Carolina. In his free time Nikhil likes to run and swim. He joined the AIAA chapter and Rice Flight in the spring of 2025 working on flight simulations, avionics, and software, as well as helped on the manufacturing of the plane.
Iñigo Perez
Rice Flight Propulsion Specialist
Will Feng
Rice Flight Structures Specialist
Will is a sophomore from St. Louis, Missouri, majoring in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Business. When he's not in the library or an engineering building, he enjoys playing basketball, working out, and exploring Houston with friends. He joined Rice Flight and the AIAA chapter in the Fall of 2024 and looks forward to growing his role in structural analysis within the team.
Leadership Alums
Nancy Lindsey
Nancy Lindsey founded Rice Flight in May 2022, and served as Design Lead/Captain of Rice Flight and as President of the AIAA Chapter from 2022-2025. She graduated in May 2025 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, and is now pursuing a Master's in Aeronautical Engineering at Imperial College London.
Anish Chitnis
Anish Chitnis was the Rice Flight Aerodynamics Specialist from the team’s founding in 2022 until 2025. He developed the analytical and computational tools the team uses for aerodynamic optimization, and has been an integral part in establishing the team’s institutional knowledge. He graduated in May 2025 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, and is now pursuing a Master’s in Aerospace Engineering at Georgia Tech.