Scholar Profile

Morris Vanegas

Consulting

Biography

Morris Vanegas is an aerospace engineer and interdisciplinary researcher whose work spans space exploration, neuroscience, and innovation leadership. He earned his undergraduate degree in Aerospace Engineering with Information Technology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and later returned to MIT to complete dual master’s degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Astronautical Engineering.

After beginning his career as a Spacesuit Designer at Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) in Los Angeles, Morris shifted his focus toward human-centered research and education. His academic work includes research appointments in the MIT Man Vehicle Lab within the Kavli Institute for Astrophysics & Space Research and the Center for Bits & Atoms at the MIT Media Lab. He has also taught university courses, including the digital fabrication course How to Make (Almost) Anything at Northeastern University.

Morris was awarded a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant to complete his doctoral research at the Northeastern Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Complex, where his work led to a patent for a portable brain imaging system designed to monitor stroke recovery at home. His contributions have been recognized through honors such as Latino 30 Under 30, Future Faculty Fellow, and MIT Impact Fellow.

In addition to his research and teaching, Morris has founded 3rd Spaces, and has directed national and international FabLabs and makerspaces. He currently serves as Director of Innovation at LiminalArc and sits on the board of The Havenwood Foundation.

Morris lives in the mountains of San Bernardino, California, where you can find him volunteering with the US Forest Service, hosting community dinners, and pretending to be an architect by building decks and tiny homes in his backyard.

High school:  California Academy of Math and Science

Degrees

News and Highlights

01/22/2020 Morris Vanegas (MS '08)

30 under 30: Morris Vanegas, MS '08 was recently named to the Latino 30 under 30 list for his work in an academic specialty in the biomedical engineering of imaging the brain using visible light that was still only partially born. Currently, he is heading an NIH-funded grant to create portable non-invasive neuro-imaging technologies to accelerate stroke recovery. And outside of academia, Morris is the Co-Founder of The Second L, an organization that runs ÉPOCA: a multi-day festival that helps lifelong learners reach their personal and professional self-fulfillment through residential-based learning, experience-based insight, cultural agility, and wellness coaching. Learn more about Morris and his accomplishment here.

06/11/2005 Morris Vanegas (MS '08)

Award Winning. Morris Vanegas, MS ’08, was honored with the L.A.’s BEST After School Enrichment Program Distinguished Alumnus award at their annual Family Brunch on June 5th , for his work tutoring elementary school students.

01/13/2003 Morris Vanegas (MS '08)

All systems go: Mission Assurance Engineer, Morris Vanegas, MS ‘08, was on the console for SpaceX’s Dragon launch, its second commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station. He will take a break from the action this fall when he returns to M.I.T. to earn his master’s in Astrophysics / Aeronautics.