Alumni Profile: The journey of aerospace engineer Maanyaa Kapur
When Maanyaa Kapur boarded an Airbus A380 for the first time at the age of 13, she was captivated by the double-decker aircraft’s grand staircase and sheer size. “I couldn’t make sense of how that giant aircraft flew,” she recalls. That same year, she also witnessed the livestream of NASA’s Curiosity rover landing on Mars in her Delhi school auditorium. That awe-inspiring moment that planted a dream: to build things that fly, and perhaps even explore the vastness of space.
Today, Kapur is living that dream. She earned her bachelor’s in aerospace engineering in 2023 and recently completed her master’s degree in the spring of 2025. Kapur now works as a retrofit engineer for Airbus in Mobile, Alabama, supporting the A220 aircraft program. “Over a year into the role, I still go to work as excited as the first day,” she says. “I get first-hand experience applying my engineering education in a fast-paced industry setting.”
Kapur’s path through the U of A was filled with remarkable achievements. The self-described “relaxed over-planner” enjoyed each day while steadily working toward her long-term goals. “Every day you take small, relaxed steps, but when you look back after a year, you’ve come a long way,” she says.
She served as president of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), received the Helmut and Ellen Hof Scholarship, and was the graduation speaker at the Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering convocation. She was also a member of the Phi Sigma Rho sorority, where she forged lifelong friendships.
Her leadership in SWE extended beyond organizing social and outreach events. Kapur helped club members secure internships and jobs, strengthening the organization’s role in the College of Engineering. “SWE made me well-rounded and professionally developed,” she says. “I built an extensive network of engineering professionals through this wonderful organization.”
One of Kapur’s most significant U of A experiences was her two-year involvement with NASA’s OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return mission. As an intern for the Thermal Conductivity Experiment Engineering team in the Sample Physical and Thermal Analysis Working Group, she contributed to analyzing material from asteroid Bennu—research that drew national attention. “All the design experience I gained from working on OSIRIS-REx prepared me for my career,” she says.
Kapur rounded out her undergraduate experiences as the student speaker for the 2023 International Students and Community Appreciation Reception. In her speech, she compared her journey to a movie—beginning with a childhood dream of the “American Dream,” navigating the challenges of living independently thousands of miles from home, and ultimately achieving her goals.
As she continues her work at Airbus, Kapur remains deeply connected to the U of A, staying in touch with professors and friends. She is, in her words, “slowly but surely living that 13-year-old Maanyaa’s dream.”