About Me

I am an experimentalist at the University of Michigan focusing on high-power Hall thruster performance in the Aerospace Engineering department. Beyond my research work, I am strongly involved in diversity and outreach efforts. Outside of the lab I enjoy embroidery, swimming, and taking cursed pictures of my cat Pudge.

Research Highlights

"We named our thruster the H9 MUSCLE because essentially, we took the H9 thruster and made a muscle car out of it by turning it up to 11—really up to a hundred, if we’re going by accurate scaling."

-Me

Education

  • University of Michigan: Ph.D. Candidate in Aerospace Engineering

    • National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow, 2018-2021

    • Zonta International Amelia Earhart Fellow, 2022

    • Rackham Graduate School Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Certificate Recipient, 2022

    • Michigan Institute for Plasma Science and Engineering Fellow, 2020

    • Expected Graduation Summer 2023

  • University of Washington: Bachelor of Science, cum laude, in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering

    • Minor in Diversity

    • Graduated June 2018

Experience

  • Plasmadynamics and Electric Propulsion Laboratory

    • August 2018 - Present

  • Jet Propulsion Laboratories: Electric Propulsion Group Intern

    • July 2022 - September 2022

  • Caltech Space Challenge 2022: Titan Sample Return Mission

  • Fusion Z-Pinch Experiment: Undergraduate Research Assistant

    • April 2015 - June 2018

  • Aerojet Rocketdyne: Electric Propulsion Project Engineering Intern

    • June 2017 - September 2017

  • Eagle Harbor Technologies: Plasma Research Intern

    • June 2016 - September 2016

Contact

Email: leannesu@umich.edu

LinkedIn: Leanne Su

Instagram: @its.lean

Cat: @its.pudge