Dario Giuseppe Pastrone

Dario Giuseppe Pastrone is a Full Professor at Politecnico di Torino, specifically in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (DIMEAS). He serves as Coordinator of the College of Mechanical, Aerospace and Automotive Engineering and as a member of the Investigative Commission for the Coordination of Teaching and Training Activities.

He has been coordinating the PhD program in Aerospace Engineering at Politecnico di Torino since at least the 28th cycle (2012/2013) up to the current 40th cycle (2024/2025). His research focuses on aerospace propulsion with special emphasis on:

• Advanced rocket nozzles
• Hybrid rocket engines
• Combustion and combustion instability
• Coupled propulsion/trajectory optimization
• Jet engines and launcher performance
• Solid propellant technology

His recent publications address innovations in cryogenic storage systems, photocurable solid propellants, swirl injection models, UV-cured solid rocket propellants, and advanced nozzle performance for reusable launch vehicles. In 2023, he was granted a national and international patent along with Marco Sangermano for a composite propellant production process via photodeposition and polymerization for solid-propellant rocket engines.

Professor Pastrone has supervised numerous PhD students in aerospace engineering, including Vincenzo Madonia (40th cycle), Leonardo Stumpo (39th cycle), Alessandra Zumbo (39th cycle), Lorenzo Folcarelli (38th cycle), Giacomo Gedda (38th cycle), and Giovanni Polizzi (38th cycle), all working on various aspects of aerospace propulsion.