Zenith Fellow Intern, Class of 2023
University of Toronto, Bachelor of Electrical Engineering
Host Organization: Mission Control Space Services
Mentor: Chantelle Dubois

Thardchi is a second-year student at the University of Toronto pursuing her undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering with a minor in Robotics & Mechatronics and a certificate in Artificial Intelligence Engineering.

She exhibits a deep passion for the domain of space exploration. This passion fuels her dedication to expanding her knowledge of the field while constantly seeking new ways to contribute to advancements in the industry. Thardchi believes in making outer space accessible to everyone from all walks of life, and recognizes the value diverse perspectives can bring to scientific discovery. Over the past two years, Thardchi has been a member of the Space Systems Division at the University of Toronto Aerospace Team. During this time, she has supported the testing and development of Attitude Determination and Control System (ADCS) software packages for the team’s 3U CubeSat.

Beyond her interests in space exploration, Thardchi is also committed to providing academic and mentorship support to young students in her local community. She founded TutorON, a student-run organization that offers free online tutoring services to high school students. Additionally, she serves as the Mentorship Director for Hi-Skule, an engineering outreach club at the University of Toronto. In this role, Thardchi combines her passion for working with youth and promoting STEM education to provide opportunities for students to explore careers in engineering.

Outside of her academic and technical pursuits, Thardchi enjoys dancing Bharatanatyam and painting in various mediums. In her view, both the arts and space exploration demonstrates the tremendous strength of human ingenuity and creativity, as well as the boundless potential of the human spirit.

Through her academic, professional, and personal endeavours, Thardchi hopes to deepen her knowledge about the world around us and the worlds beyond us. In the near future, she plans on pursuing graduate studies, focusing on the intersection of robotics and artificial intelligence in the context of space exploration. Thardchi is thrilled to be joining Mission Control Space Services in Ottawa this summer as part of Zenith Fellowship’s Class of 2023!