Hamsa Balakrishnan

Hamsa Balakrishnan

she/her
Aeronautics and Astronautics
Unequivocal advocacy and student autonomy

Balakrishnan is the William E. Leonhard Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics at MIT. She leads the Dynamics, Infrastructure Networks, and Mobility (DINaMo) Research Group. Her current research interests are in the design, analysis, and implementation of control and optimization algorithms for large-scale cyber-physical infrastructures, with an emphasis on air transportation systems. 

Unequivocal advocacy

Many nominators commended Balakrishnan for her efforts to support students of all identities. A true LGBTQ+ community ally, Balakrishnan advocates for students in her lab by supporting their participation in professional LGBTQ+ organizations and conferences. She also connects interested students to academic mentors within the community to contribute to their sense of belonging within the field. 

Balakrishnan’s mindfulness in respecting personal expression and her proactive approach to inclusion have made a lasting impact on her students. “Hamsa’s efforts have encouraged me to bring my full self to the workplace,” one student wrote; “I will be forever grateful for her mentorship and kindness as an advisor.”

During her tenure as Assistant Department Head, Hamsa frequently met with students in harmful advising situations, providing level-headed and compassionate advice. In one instance, she intervened to prevent a student from losing their visa status after their faculty advisor abruptly stopped working with them. 

One student shared their experience of moving from a toxic advising situation to working with Hamsa, describing how her mentorship was crucial in the nominator’s successful return to research: “Hamsa’s mentorship has been vital to building up my confidence as a researcher, as she [often] provides helpful guidance and positive affirmation.”

Fostering student autonomy

Balakrishnan frequently gives her students freedom to independently explore and develop their research interests. When students wanted to delve into new areas like space research—far removed from her expertise in air traffic management and unmanned aerial vehicles—Hamsa embraced the challenge and learned about these topics in order to provide better guidance. 

One student described how Balakrishnan consistently encouraged the lab to work on research topics that interested them. This led one student to develop a novel research topic and publish a first author paper within months of joining the lab. 

Balakrishnan’s dedication to fostering student autonomy also extends to students who wish to switch into her lab from other advisors. She has welcomed two students over the past years, providing them with the support they needed to transition and succeed in their new environment.