Nicole Mendoza is a senior researcher at NREL, working primarily in offshore floating wind energy systems and systems engineering. She is also an Environmental Entrepreneurs 1 Hotels Fellow and Emerging Leader. Prior to this, she designed wind turbine blades for Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy for about three years. As an aerodynamicist, she developed new airfoils, new blades, and various aerodynamic devices for onshore and offshore wind turbines. She has also worked for Boeing in the aerospace industry for roughly 3.5 years in various roles, and was an emerging leader in Boeing's Leadership Excellence Acceleration Program. She has a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from Texas A&M, supported by multiple scholarships, fellowships, honors, and awards, including the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program. She has authored/co-authored 8 conference papers and has 2 patents in progress.

Mendoza is a passionate champion for women in STEM, women in renewable energy, diversity and inclusion, and saving the planet. In her academic and professional careers, she has mentored extensively, organized career development events, volunteered for various STEM-related educational outreach activities to grade-school-aged girls, served as a professional role model, lead employee engagement/activity committees, and created new programs, groups, and initiatives for women. She actively volunteers with multiple women's professional and social organizations (NREL Women's Network, Women of Renewable Industries and Sustainable Energy, Society of Women Engineers, etc.).   

Research Interests

Wind turbine rotor performance

Wind turbine aerodynamics

Offshore wind energy systems

Education

Ph.D., Aerospace Engineering, Texas A&M

Energy Sustainability Engineering Certificate

B.S., Aerospace Engineering, Texas A&M

Professional Experience

Senior Researcher, NREL (2019–Present)

Wind Turbine Blade Design Aerodynamics Engineer, Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (2016–2019)

Aerodynamics Engineer, Boeing (2013–2016)

Associations and Memberships

Women in Renewable Industries and Sustainable Energy

Featured Work

Distributed Embedded Energy Converter Technologies for Marine Renewable Energy: A Technical Report, NREL Technical Report (2023)

Life Cycle Assessments for BDS Applications: Towards Creating an Environmental Competitive Advantage, 22nd Boeing Technical Excellence Conference (2015)

787 Paint Weight Reduction: Environmental Benefits, 21st Boeing Technical Excellence Conference (2014)

On the Unsteady Shock Wave Interaction With a Backward-Facing Step: Viscous Analysis, 29th International Symposium on Shock Waves (2013)

On the Unsteady Shock Wave Interaction With a Splitter Plate: Viscous Analysis, 29th International Symposium on Shock Waves (2013)

On the Unsteady Shock Wave Interaction With a Splitter Plate: Inviscid Analysis, 51st AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting (2013)

Awards and Honors

Leadership Excellence Acceleration Program | Boeing

Graduate Research Fellowship Program Fellow | NSF

Engineering Innovation Fellowship Program | NSF/ASEE

President's Endowed Scholarship | Texas A&M University

Michael E. Banks Scholarship | Aerospace Department, TAMU

Ben and Leanne Smith Scholarship | Aerospace Department, TAMU

Larry Anderson Award | Aerospace Department, TAMU

University Honors | Texas A&M University

Engineering Scholar | Texas A&M University