Folkers Rojas

Folkers Rojas is a part-time instructor in the MIT Department of Mechanical Engineering and co-founder of Raptors Design Inc., a design consultancy specializing in engineering solutions. He holds dual bachelor's degrees in mechanical engineering and nuclear science & engineering from MIT (2009), followed by a master's (2011) and PhD (2014) in mechanical engineering. His career began with extensive participation in MIT's UROP program, completing seven projects across multiple departments, including satellite solar energy harvesting, astronomical camera design, and thermal analysis of energy storage systems.

Key academic contributions include work under Prof. Alex Slocum on oil well control technologies that became the basis for his PhD and commercial innovations. He has collaborated on major projects such as the Magellan telescope camera upgrade and initiatives to address the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Current efforts involve MIT's Caribbean seaweed cleanup project with the Dominican Republic Navy.

Rojas credits MIT's experiential learning culture - particularly UROP - for shaping his skills in hands-on design, project management, and interdisciplinary collaboration. His professional work bridges academia and industry through advanced engineering solutions.