Álvaro Romero-Calvo
Álvaro Romero-Calvo is an assistant professor in the Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he leads the Low-Gravity Science and Technology Laboratory. His group engages in a broad range of activities in the fields of microgravity and low-gravity research, supporting the development of next-generation space systems and the study of the fundamental physical phenomena behind them.
As PI and Co-PI of multiple federally-funded projects with NASA, DARPA, and industry partners, Dr. Romero-Calvo's research has advanced new phase separation, propellant management, life support, adaptive optics, lunar surface, and heat transfer technologies. His team conducts fluid physics experiments across multiple low-gravity platforms, including drop towers, parabolic flights, and suborbital rockets, to bring promising new ideas closer to commercial infusion.
Dr. Romero-Calvo’s contributions have been recognized with his selection as a NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Fellow, the ASGSR Thora Halstead Young Investigator Award, and media coverage in Popular Science, Science News, and other international outlets.
He also serves as Board Member of ASGSR, Vice-Chair of the AIAA Gravity-Dependent Science and Technology Technical Committee, and Vice-Chair of COSPAR's Commission G.
Originally from Granada, Spain, Dr. Romero-Calvo holds a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering Sciences from the University of Colorado Boulder, M.Sc. degrees in Space Engineering (Politecnico di Milano) and Aeronautical Engineering (Universidad de Sevilla), and a B.Sc. in Aerospace Engineering from the Universidad de Sevilla.
Outside the lab, he is a trained classical pianist and an outdoor enthusiast with a passion for skiing, hiking, and camping.
Professor Romero-Calvo's teaching interests include core aerospace engineering subjects such as fluid mechanics, space systems engineering, and spacecraft environmental control and life support, at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. His instruction emphasizes fundamental principles and their application to aerospace vehicle performance and design. He actively engages students through analytical, computational, and experimental approaches, fostering critical thinking and problem-solving skills pertinent to the aerospace field.
Professor Romero-Calvo's work spans a broad range of activities in microgravity and low-gravity research, supporting the development of next-generation space systems and the study of the fundamental physical phenomena behind them. As PI and Co-PI of multiple federally funded projects, he and his team have advanced technologies in phase separation, propellant management, life support, adaptive optics, lunar surface, and heat transfer. His Low-Gravity Science and Technology laboratory conducts fluid-physics experiments across multiple low-gravity platforms, including drop towers, parabolic flights, and suborbital rockets, to bring promising new ideas closer to commercial infusion.
Lab/Collaborations:
- Low-Gravity Science and Technology Lab
- Space Systems Design Lab (SSDL)
Disciplines:
- Aerodynamics & Fluid Mechanics
- Propulsion & Combustion
- Systems Design & Optimization
AE Multidisciplinary Research Areas:
- Space Exploration and Earth Monitoring
- Sustainable Transportation and Energy Systems
Other Lab:
Low-Gravity Science and Technology (LGST) Lab
- Ph.D., Aerospace Engineering Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder, 2022;
- M.Sc., Space Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, 2019;
- M.Sc., Aeronautical Engineering, Universidad de Sevilla, 2019;
- B.Sc., Aerospace Engineering, Universidad de Sevilla, 2016;
- NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Fellow, 2024
- Smead Aerospace Engineering Sciences Outstanding Alum for Excellence in Technical Achievement and Leadership, 2025
- ASGSR Thora Halstead Young Investigator Award, 2023
- Outstanding Dissertation Award, College of Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, 2022
- ASGSR Governing Board, 2022-2025
- AIAA Gravity-Dependent Science and Technology Technical Committee Vice-Chair, 2024
- COSPAR Scientific Commission G Vice-Chair, 2023
- Ö. Akay, M. Monfort-Castillo, T. St. Francis, S. Saravanabavan, Á. Romero-Calvo*, K. Brinkert*, “Magnetically induced convection enhances water electrolysis in microgravity“, Nat. Chem., Vol. 17, pp. 1673–1679, 2025, doi: 10.1038/s41557-025-01890-0
- H. Chen, S. Hart, Á. Romero-Calvo, “Thermal Propellant Management Devices for CubeSat Cold Gas Propulsion”, Acta Astronautica, in press, doi: 10.1016/j.actaastro.2026.01.057
- S. Hart, C. Awald, G. Lightsey, Á. Romero-Calvo, “Magnetohydrodynamically Pumped Liquid Metal Loops for CubeSat Thermal Control“, Int. J. of Heat and Mass Transfer, Vol. 239, 126552, 2025, doi: 10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2024.126552
- L. Scifoni, F. Isidori Pacelli, M. J. Schaible, E. A. Ryan, Y. Yee Li Sip, L. Zhai, J. S. Linsey, M. L. Shofner, T. M. Orlando, Á. Romero-Calvo, “Performance of Electrodynamic Dust Shields with Functional Surface Coatings for Lunar Dust Mitigation“, Acta Astronautica, Vol. 238, Part A, pp. 398-413, 2025, doi: 10.1016/j.actaastro.2025.08.057
- E. Comstock, H. Chen, T. Hu, Á. Romero-Calvo, “On the Feasibility of Spherical Magnetic Liquid Mirror Telescopes”, Acta Astronautica, Vol. 230, pp. 30-38, 2025, doi: 10.1016/j.actaastro.2025.01.066