Francisco Jeldres Neira
Research engineer
Research Interests
Francisco brings his engineering foundation from the Chilean Navy, where he served as an electrical and mechanical engineer managing complex, mission-critical systems. His naval tenure included overseeing propulsion systems, entire vessel hulls, electrical generation and distribution architectures, and ship-wide auxiliary systems under intense operational demands. Francisco transitioned to MIT to earn two master’s degrees, where his research specialized in aluminum-based fuels for long-range autonomous underwater vehicles. At the GEAR Center, his work spans a variety of engineering challenges, including agricultural automation, desalination infrastructure, and medical optoelectronics.
Education
S.M. Engineering and Management, MIT, 2026
S.M. Mechanical Engineering, MIT, 2026
B.S. Electrical Naval Engineering, Chilean Navy
Honors and Awards
Chilean College of Engineers, Best Qualified Engineer in Naval Engineering (2019)
Medal "Directorate of Education of the Navy”, First place in specialty (2019)
Hobbies
Spending time with his wife and two children, and playing tennis.