MAMustafa Ali
Mechanical engineering

UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON · CLASS OF 2029

Ideas take shape.
Then I build.

I'm Syed Mustafa Ali, a mechanical engineering student exploring how thoughtful design becomes working hardware—from spacecraft deployment concepts to a candy-dispensing robot.

Explore my work ↓Let's connect ↗

Houston, TX / Seeking summer 2027 opportunities

DESIGN NOTE / 001SOLIDWORKS
CAD assembly of a funnel inlet cap, guide rods, support frame and actuation mechanism
Microorganism sampling mechanismView project ↗
CAD & MECHANISM DESIGNHANDS-ON ASSEMBLYROBOT PROGRAMMINGMATLAB ANALYSIS

SELECTED WORK

A few things
I'm working on.

Personal ownership. Team collaboration.
Clear distinctions between concepts and completed builds.

01 / SPACE SYSTEMS

IN DEVELOPMENT

Small spacecraft.
Big design questions.

2U CubeSat structures & deployment

As CubeSat and Mechanical Team Lead for the Undergraduate Student Instrumentation Project, I’m developing the frame and deployment mechanisms for a 2U CubeSat, including its solar panels and antenna.

The challenge is thinking beyond individual parts: how components fit, move, and work together as the team’s requirements evolve.

  • My responsibilityFrame design and deployment mechanisms
  • How I workCAD modeling and coordination with project teams
  • Current stageDesign development; no flight performance claimed
Spacecraft structuresDeploymentTeam leadership
Conceptual illustration of a two-unit CubeSat and deployable solar panels, not a rendering of the project design2U FORM FACTORFRAME / PANELS / ANTENNACONCEPTUAL ILLUSTRATIONNot project CAD or flight hardware
Side view of the sampling cap assembly showing a slotted actuation mechanism
CAD detail / Slotted mechanism

02 / MECHANICAL DESIGN

CAD & PAYLOAD DEVELOPMENT

A better way
to open the cap.

High-altitude microorganism sampling payload

The original servo and hinged linkage did not reliably open the external inlet cap. I redesigned it in SolidWorks using a slotted mechanism intended to provide 10 cm of travel.

I also developed a spring-retention hook concept and assembled the sampling payload. The balloon mission targets 30,000 ft; the redesigned mechanism’s reliability and altitude performance remain to be demonstrated.

Design process & next steps +

My work focuses on the cap assembly, actuation geometry, and spring-hook concept. The spring hook is CAD-only. Planned checks include travel, clearance, repeatability, and secure spring retention. This balloon payload is separate from the CubeSat project.

SolidWorksMechanismsCAD iteration
Completed candy-dispensing deer mounted on its wheeled robot chassis during a classroom activity
Built and used / December 2023

03 / ROBOTICS

COMPLETED TEAM BUILD

A robot with
a playful purpose.

Remote-controlled candy-dispensing deer

Our team turned a decorative deer into a mobile robot for a special education classroom visit. Petting it triggered candy dispensing and music.

I wrote the robot code, configured remote-controlled operation, assembled the wheels and drive frame, and made the candy-release mechanism.

Inside the build +Robot drive chassis with wheels, motors, controller and wiring

Teammates worked on the petting sensor and its connection to the dispenser, the decorative body/frame, and decorations. The completed system brought our mechanical and control contributions together.

VEX hardwareProgrammingAssembly

04 / COMPUTATIONAL WORK

Making the
numbers visible.

Individual MATLAB coursework
in analysis, simulation, and usable tools.

Recreated orbital radius and velocity curves versus true anomaly

ORBITAL ANALYSIS

Radius & speed

Explored an elliptical orbit with a 20,000 km semi-major axis and 0.6 eccentricity. The plots reproduce the coursework radius and speed equations.

Recreated illustration, not a MATLAB screenshot. Full-orbit timing needs a quadrant-handling refinement.

Random points inside and outside a quarter circle illustrating Monte Carlo estimation of pi

NUMERICAL METHODS

Random points. An estimate of π.

Estimated π by counting randomly generated points inside a quarter circle and multiplying the fraction by four.

Method illustration with new samples. The original plotting section remains a refinement task.

Saved MATLAB App Designer screenshot showing solar-cost comparison and panel-degradation tabs

MATLAB APP DESIGNER

Solar cost comparison

Built an interactive app that compares cumulative energy costs over 24 months and identifies a break-even month. A separate tab illustrates panel degradation.

Simplified constant-cost model; financing, incentives, and changing rates are outside its scope.

BEYOND THE BIG PROJECTS

Always making
something.

Printed viewing-angle name design seen from the Mousey direction
One direction
Printed viewing-angle name design seen from the Kitty direction
Another perspective

Two names. One geometry.

A personal design that displays either of my cats’ names depending on the viewing direction. Other small builds include a cafe card holder, phone stands, and printed phone-case prototypes.

A troubleshooting experience +

In 2023, I helped troubleshoot a welding machine with a team. After inspecting the machine, we traced the problem to disconnected wires inside the plug and reconnected and tightened them. The fault was in the plug connection, not the circuit board.

THE PERSON BEHIND THE PARTS

Learning by designing.
Growing by doing.

I'm pursuing a BS in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Houston, graduating in May 2029. I’m interested in mechanisms, robotics, and the work of turning CAD into physical systems.

Outside my projects, I serve as ASME Newsletter Committee Chair and Ignite Intern, sharing chapter events and member achievements through biweekly updates. I also mentor students working on aerospace projects.

Download portfolio PDF ↗
SolidWorksFusion 360MATLAB3D printingMechanical assemblyTechnical documentation

LET'S BUILD SOMETHING

Have a project
or opportunity?

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