Why the Future of Aerospace Belongs to Dual-Domain Innovators: A Case for the M.E.T. Model

The Dual-Domain Mindset: Engineering + Entrepreneurship

UC Berkeley’s M.E.T. isn’t just a double major; it’s a double lens. Students master one of the world’s top engineering curricula while earning a business education from the #1 public business school in the country.

But beyond the degrees, M.E.T. builds a mindset.

As someone who worked on aircraft systems at an early-stage UAS company, I’ve seen firsthand how the real bottlenecks aren't always in engineering. They’re in decision-making frameworks: mission architecture tradeoffs, supplier risk profiles, scalability vs. survivability.

Case Study: In-Space Refueling for Artemis

Through the NASA SEES program, I’ve worked on a mission architecture tool that models hundreds of lunar transfer scenarios involving orbital propellant depots and cryogenic boiloff. But making this technically viable isn’t enough.

We need to ask:

• Can the depot supply chain be commercially sustained?

• What’s the ROI of placing Starship vs. Blue Moon in NRHO?

• Will policy, risk tolerance, and capital markets enable it?

In short: solving lunar logistics isn’t just an engineering problem. It’s a systems + markets problem.

M.E.T. is the only undergraduate program I’ve found that trains future leaders to answer both.

Aerospace Startups Need Translators, Not Just Technologists

Over this past summer, I worked with Flight Frame where we’re building hybrid-electric aircraft architectures for short-haul cargo missions. As a student supporting subsystem selection and mission modeling, I’ve seen how every design choice impacts:

• Certification timelines

• Investor milestones

• Mission economics

In a startup, you don’t hand the spreadsheet to someone else. You are the spreadsheet.

M.E.T. doesn’t just train its students. It trains mission owners, not just contributors.

Feedback Loops Between Lab and Market

Tight loops between tech validation and capital validation increasingly drive innovation in aerospace. That’s why M.E.T.’s integration with SkyDeck, the Sutardja Center, and Berkeley’s deep tech ecosystem matters.

Programs like:

• A. Richard Newton Lecture Series (where Elon Musk spoke) (https://scet.berkeley.edu/a-richard-newton-lecture-series/)

• SkyDeck’s Air Mobility & Defense track (https://skydeck.berkeley.edu/program/)

…are part of what makes this model uniquely fit for new space, sustainable aviation, and beyond.

The Future Builder Is a Synthesizer

Most universities force a tradeoff: go deep or go broad. M.E.T. challenges that dichotomy.

That’s what the M.E.T. program enables at a systemic level. And that’s the kind of synthesis the aerospace field desperately needs.

Final Thoughts: M.E.T. Isn’t Just a Program, It’s a Prototype

M.E.T. doesn’t just produce students. It prototypes the next generation of leaders for fields where silos don’t bind innovation.

And as aerospace shifts from government-driven to venture-driven frontiers—from Artemis to Anduril, from JPL to Joby—what we need are founders who can build the impossible and fund the improbable. I truly believe the M.E.T. model belongs at the center of the next space age.

“Engineers understand what can be built. Entrepreneurs understand what must be built.”

— Dr. Saikat Chaudhuri, Faculty Director of the M.E.T. Program