Dr. Justin Little

Associate Professor

Build a Statement of Purpose

Generate a tailored SOP for Dr. Justin Little. Improve your application with a focused, well-structured draft.

Biography

Justin joined the William E. Boeing Department of Aeronautics & Astronautics as an Associate Professor in 2018. Previously, he served as a Research Scientist and Part-Time Lecturer. During his time at the University of Washington, he developed an undergraduate laboratory class focused on electric propulsion. Before joining UW, he was a Propulsion Research Scientist at MSNW LLC, where he managed research programs in basic plasma science and electric propulsion. Professor Little’s research is centered on understanding and developing novel electric propulsion concepts for applications in space exploration, telecommunications, and military low-cost small satellites. A central focus of his work is on low-temperature plasma physics and how it governs the performance of electric thrusters, particularly the role of collisions, plasma chemistry, stability, and transport properties in high-velocity plasma flows. His research methods emphasize the close relationship between reduced-order theoretical modeling and innovative experiment design to explore fundamental scaling and the dominant physics involved. The ultimate goal of his research is to improve the efficiency and capabilities of next-generation electric propulsion systems.

Research Interests

Requirements for University of Washington

Master Program
Requirements
GPA Requirement
Required:3
TOEFL
Total
Required:80
IELTS
Overall
Required:6.5
Duolingo
Overall Score
Required:105
Overall
Required:105
Prerequisites
Bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited college or university
Application Checklist
  • Online application
  • Transcripts
  • Statement of Purpose
  • Letters of Recommendation
  • Resume/CV
  • English proficiency scores (for international students)
Specialization Notes

Standard Graduate School requirements for University of Washington apply to most departments listed unless specified otherwise by the program.