Maha Haji

Maha Haji serves as Assistant Professor in Cornell University's Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and Systems Engineering field member since 2021. She directs the Symbiotic Engineering and Analysis (SEA) Lab, pioneering sustainable offshore technologies for Blue Economy advancement and climate change mitigation through interdisciplinary symbiotic system design.

Her academic credentials include:

• B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and B.A. in Applied Mathematics from University of California, Berkeley (2012)
• M.S. in Oceanographic Engineering from MIT/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (2015)
• Ph.D. in Mechanical and Oceanographic Engineering from MIT/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (2017)

Professor Haji's research integrates Systems Engineering and Ocean Engineering to develop sustainable offshore solutions, emphasizing Design Optimization for renewable energy systems (offshore wind/wave), mineral extraction from seawater, desalination, and aquaculture. Her work creates synergistic multi-functional platforms that harmonize resource harvesting with ocean ecosystem preservation.

Publication analysis reveals consistent focus on symbiotic offshore systems, with 2018-2019 studies demonstrating interdisciplinary approaches to ocean resource utilization—spanning environmental science, engineering design, and economic optimization for critical mineral extraction and renewable energy integration.

She secured $2.6M in NOAA Sea Grant funding for the MOLLUSCA microplastic collecting robot project with Professor Sunny Jung, advancing ocean conservation technology. Her mentorship cultivates next-generation engineers in sustainable offshore development through the SEA Lab's research framework.

The SEA Lab operates as a multidisciplinary hub developing symbiotic engineering solutions for offshore wind, mineral extraction, and aquaculture systems, emphasizing lifecycle sustainability and climate resilience in ocean technology deployment.