Ashley Coates graduated from UC Davis with her bachelor's degree in Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering in 2014, receiving the University Medal. She continued her education at Stanford University and received her master's in 2016 and PhD in 2020 from the Aeronautics and Astronautics department. While at Stanford, Ashley worked in the Stanford Propulsion and Space Exploration Lab where she started her research in computational combustion. During graduate school, Ashley also had the opportunity to further her studies working at NASA Ames Research Center where she completed much of her PhD research. Her research focused on using computational fluid dynamics with detailed chemical kinetics to understand flame propagation mechanisms in various scenarios, including the potential for transition from deflagration to detonation, in support of launch vehicle risk assessment efforts. Ashley converted her NASA Pathways Internship to a permanent position at NASA Ames upon graduation and continues to work in the Supercomputing Division as part of the Engineering Risk Assessment team. In her free time, Ashley likes to spend time outside hiking and camping as well as working on sewing and craft projects.