Executive Board
Meet our student leaders
Setekh Karaismailoglu
President
Setekh is a 4th year Mechanical Engineering student minoring in Biology. Starting on the structures team of Rocket Lander Testbed, and later switching to the Propulsion team, Setekh has been working on the modeling and testing of Nephas over the last year. Setekh hopes to put SEDS UCSD in the forefront of collegiate rocketry by successfully testing and launching a reusable engine on both the Halya and Riptide vehicles. Outside of SEDS, Setekh enjoys discovering new places to get coffee. Setekh is currently a propulsion engineering intern at Ursa Major Technologies.
Swetha Chidambara Ganesh
Vice President of Operations
Swetha is a 2nd year Aerospace Engineering student, joining SEDS as a propellent feed systems engineer for Halya and a member of the SEDSxFEM mentorship group. Swetha is excited to continue to the manufacturing and testing phase for Halya’s GSE (Ground Support Equipment) and plumbing systems. As the VP of Operations, Swetha hopes to continue improving operational plans as testing and launching season approach for both Halya and Riptide vehicles. Outside of SEDS, Swetha enjoys painting, bouldering, and exploring new places.
Omeed Shahhosseini
Vice President of Engineering
Omeed, a 4th year Mechanical Engineering major specializing in controls and robotics, joined our Rocket Lander Testbed team as a member of the fluid systems and propulsion design teams. He assumed the role of project manager during the 2022-23 academic year. As the Vice President of Engineering, he will oversee our projects as they enter verification testing over the next year.
Yusuf shehata
Director of Internal Affairs
Yusuf, a 4th year Aerospace Enginering student, joined SEDS as a structural and component design engineer for the Propulsion team in 2022. He assumed the role of Direct of Internal Affairs during the 2023-24 academic year to help drive the organization forward from the individual level. He wants to create a legacy for the organization that helps build future engineers and aims to pursue a professional R&D role within the space industry.
Alexander Martin Wicklund
Director of External Affairs
Alex, a 2nd year Aerospace Engineering major, came into SEDS last year as a first-year excited to learn more about rocketry. Originally joining the lander testbed structures team, and got to apply what he learned in his classes in a hands-on environment. Now as the new Director of External Affairs, he plans to continue to improve the opportunities and resources SEDS can provide both its members and the local San Diego Community. He will also be in charge of maintaining the external image of SEDS and reaching out to community partners through various avenues.
Cesar Orellana
Director of Business and Finance
Cesar is a 3rd-year Business Economics student minoring in Accounting. He initially joined SEDS to expand his abilities within business development pertaining to the field of aerospace. Now, as elected Director of Business and Finance, he intends to provide an effective platform for managing organization-wide finances as well as procurement efforts. Additionally, he hopes to expand SEDS’ partnership and sponsorship opportunities in an effort to ensure the wellbeing of ongoing operations and projects. Over his summers, you can find Cesar working in real estate development at Keller Williams Realty.