Vincenzo Gallegos

Fellow

Vincenzo Gallegos served 13 years in the United States Air Force as a C-130 Loadmaster before continuing his service in the New York Air National Guard as an HC-130J Special Missions Aviator supporting global search and rescue operations. His transition into higher education was shaped in part by Warrior-Scholar Project’s Virtual STEM Boot Camp at MIT in 2021, which helped build the confidence and academic foundation that launched his pursuit of advanced scientific research.

Today, Vincenzo is a senior at New York University studying Mathematics and Physics with a minor in Mechanical Engineering. His research has taken him to institutions including Yale University, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, and NYU’s Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, where he has explored topics ranging from plasma physics and superfluid helium to stellarator optimization for nuclear fusion. He currently serves as a researcher at Kaptanoglu Labs, Team Principal and Aerodynamics Engineering Lead for NYU Motorsports, and has held leadership roles in both the Society of Undergraduate Physicists and Student Veteran Association.

Driven by a fascination with solving complex problems, Vincenzo hopes to contribute to the future of energy research and scientific discovery. Outside of the lab and classroom, he enjoys writing and is currently revising his first book.