Dr. Nathaniel Helminiak, Ph.D.

Dr. Nathaniel Helminiak is a Wisconsin-born Marquette University engineer from a science and engineering family. During his acquisition of a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering, Nathaniel worked in a variety of undergraduate research positions, with a culminating three-story treehouse design and build project.

Nathaniel’s Master of Science included the construction of a pneumatic accelerator, shooting materials of approximately 1 kilogram up to velocities of approximately 1 kilometer per second. Later work within his Doctor of Philosophy utilized this same scientific instrument to characterize the equation of state and strength properties of porous quartz.

At West Point, work progresses on investigating high-strain-rate phenomena at the West Point Ballistics Laboratory with a brand-new pneumatic accelerator. Topics of study include interior, exterior and terminal ballistics. Ongoing studies explore improving modern Army systems with the DEVCOM Armaments Center and assisting in the AMBITION (Additive Manufacturing and Ballistics Innovation for Technological Impact, Optimization and Novelty) project with DEVCOM ARL.

In his free time, Nathaniel enjoys coding, collecting Hawaiian shirts and spending time with family.