Originally from South Florida, I graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a BS in Mechanical Engineering and a BA in Applied Mathematics in May 2012. I received my PhD in Oceanographic and Mechanical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) as part of the Joint Program between MIT and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. My PhD work focused on the design and prototyping of a symbiotic system to harvest uranium from seawater. My research encompassed product design, failure analysis, prototyping, and bench-testing of components.
I am currently a joint researcher in the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Cornell and the Engineering Systems Laboratory at MIT. I will be joining the faculty at Cornell as an Assistant Professor starting in July 2021, where my research will focus on designing offshore systems to sustainably extract resources from the ocean such as power, water, and food, as well as mineral resources key to the progress of clean energy.
For more information, please feel free to view my CV or email me at mhaji [at] mit.edu.
Outside of academics, I enjoy being in the outdoors. My favorite hobbies include backpacking, surfing, sailing, and scuba diving. I also enjoy traveling and playing bass guitar. Take a look at some of my photos below!
January 2018 - Chilling amongst the Rocky Mountains.
December 2017 - Presenting my research at the Department of Energy Marine Energy Technologies Forum.
October 2017 - Representing Flight Infinity as one of the 500 Deep-Tech Startups at Hello Tomorrow in Paris, France.
September 2017 - Kayaking the Charles River, Boston, MA.
August 2017 - Exploring the Pacific Northwest.
June 2017 - PhD Graduation from MIT.
May 2017 - My PhD research on harvesting uranium from seawater.
March 2017 - Running experiments in the MIT Tow Tank.
Feb 2017 - Dry suit diving in Massachusetts!
Jan 2017 - Exploring Angkor Wat in Cambodia.
Nov 2016 - Representing MIT Makerspaces!
Sept 2016 - Checking out windmills in The Netherlands.
March 2016 - DC Cherry Blossoms.
Jan 2016 - Scuba diving in Belize.
Jan 2016 - Scuba diving in Belize.
Nov 2015 - Running my first race!
Nov 2015 - Presenting my research at the Clean Energy Education & Empowerment (C3E) initiative symposium.
Oct 2015 - Singapore Aquarium.
Sept 2015 - Cooling off in Patagonia.
Sept 2015 - Checking out Rio!
April 2015 - Being recognized as an MIT Graduate Woman of Excellence.
Feb 2015 - Wandering around Athens.
July 2014 - Exploring mailboxes in Gibraltar.
July 2014 - Cabo da Roca, the Westernmost Point in Europe.
Feb 2014 - Soaking up the sun in Hawaii.
Aug 2013 - White Water rafting with my dad.
Aug 2013 - Hugging Red Wood trees in Northern California.
July 2013 - Checking out St. Kitts!
Feb 2013 - Visiting the Eiffel Tower.
August 2012 - Chilling with kangaroos, Perth, Australia.
Summer 2012 - Surfing at Linda Mar Beach, Pacifica, CA.
July 2012 - Colosseum, Rome, Italy.
July 2012 - Ruins of Pompeii, Italy.
July 2012 - Ruins of Agrigento, Sicily.
Summer 2012 - Hiking Half Dome, Yosemite, CA.
Summer 2012 - Summit of Half Dome, Yosemite, CA .
Summer 2012 - Backpacking the John Muir Trail.
Spring 2012 - Backpacking the Grand Canyon.
Spring 2012 - Backpacking the Grand Canyon.
Feb 2012 - Biking the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, CA.
Winter 2012 - Rebuilding Lower Ninth Ward Village Community Center, New Orleans, LA.
Summer 2010 - Surfing at Agate Beach, Newport, OR.
April 2010 - Staples EcoEasy Competition, New York, NY.
Winter 2010 - Rebuilding clean water infrastructure, Los Parajillos, Honduras.
Winter 2010 - Building clean water infrastructure, Los Parajillos, Honduras.
Winter 2010 - Building clean water infrastructure, Los Parajillos, Honduras.
June 2008 - Sailing, Dania, FL.
Aug 2007 - Scuba diving the SS Copenhagen, Pompano Beach, FL.