Programme

Careers Launch will run parallel to the Reinventing Space (RISpace) main conference. Delegates of Careers Launch are encouraged to network with delegates of RISpace during breaks and the evening networking reception.

Charles Cranstoun | SSTL

Lunar Project Manager, cat herder, physicist and lover of space and technology. Charles has had a passion for everything space related his entire life, and studied Physics, Astrophysics and Cosmology at Lancaster University, paving the way to work at two large technology companies - SSTL and QinetiQ. During his career, Charles has been exposed to a range of amazing projects and people that has allowed him to grow, pulling on experiences inside, and outside, of his career to successfully deliver across a range of different projects. Today, Charles leads the Lunar Projects at SSTL, leading teams of highly capable resources to define solutions that will allow society to return to the moon, laying the foundations for the wider exploration of our solar system.

Dr Joanna Hart | STFC

Joanna works for the Science & Technology Facilities Council, as the Harwell Space Cluster Development Manager, helping the Harwell Space Cluster to grow by attracting more companies and supporting those already there. Previously Joanna worked at the Satellite Applications Catapult for four years, following her previous career in investment banking looking at telecoms companies and a career break for children. The last 6 years in the space industry has been exciting and the number and variety of opportunities is increasing all the time at Harwell Campus, across the UK and globally.

Keith Muirhead | HE Space

Keith is Managing Director of HE Space Operations BV. Keith took over responsibility for the HE Space Dutch office in 2007 bringing with him 10 years experience in a similar management role with another contracting company. He began his career in 1982, specializing primarily in Earth Observation. After 3 years’ postgraduate research at Dundee University in Scotland he joined the European Space Agency as a Research Fellow in Frascati, Italy. Since 1987 he has worked in industry: initially in Italy then moving to England in 1990 and the Netherlands in 1996.

Matjaz Vidmar | University of Edinburgh

Matjaz Vidmar is a doctoral student in Science, Technology and Innovation Studies at the University of Edinburgh and at the Royal Observatory Edinburgh, studying high-tech innovation in the Space Industry. He is also a university lecturer, a mentor and a tutor, and an award winning science communicator, with projects delivered in several countries and in leading science and arts venues, including leading the inaugural Space Enlightenment Festival, writing for a variety of magazines and taking his flagship Space and Astronomy Tours (SATs) to remote parts of Scotland. You can find more about Matjaz, his work, and how to get in touch, at: www.roe.ac.uk/~vidmar.

Owain Hughes | Skyrora

Owain is Skyrora's Partnerships Manager, and has worked for the company over the past 2 years across a range of portfolios including business development, grant writing, and investment. It is a role that has taken him across the globe, representing the company at events across Europe, the US and the Middle East. At 23 years old, he is a graduate of both Aberystwyth University (B.A. International Politics) and the University of Edinburgh (M.Sc. Global Crime & Security), having previously worked a variety of jobs from warden at a royal palace to pot-washer, and everything in between!

Heidi Thiemann | The Open University / Space Skills Alliance

Heidi is an astronomer in the School of Physical Sciences at The Open University in Milton Keynes. She is in the third year of her PhD, working on identifying and characterising near-contact binary stars in the SuperWASP all-sky survey, and travelling to use telescopes across the world. Heidi led SpaceCareers.uk for 2 years, and has recently set up a new think tank, the Space Skills Alliance, to tackle the skills shortage in the space industry. Over the summer, she is also a Senior Mentor at Space School UK, sharing the excitement of space with school children.

Rizwan Mughal | Aalto University

After completing my doctoral degree in Electronics and communications from Politecnico di Torino, Italy in 2014, I joined Institute of Space Technology, Pakistan as Assistant Professor. Currently I am working as a postdoctoral researcher in Aalto University, Finland and contributing in platform reliability and subsystem design of cubesats under Finnish Center of Excellence in Sustainable Space (FORESAIL). My key research interests are platform reliability, plug and play design approach to small satellites, intra spacecraft data communication, attitude control and thermal analysis.

Angela Phillips | Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems

Angela Phillips is a Principal Engineering Fellow in the Systems Development Center at Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems. She has more than 28 years of experience in EO/IR space systems. Ms. Phillips’ areas of expertise include non-imaging space systems and system architectures such as systems engineering, exploitation, phenomenology and user requirement definition. Previously, Ms. Phillips was the technical director for the Hazard Support System. She spent a year at NASIC as a liaison between the user community and Raytheon. Ms. Phillips earned a bachelor’s degree in in Math/System Science and a master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Lorraine Hanlon | University College Dublin (UCD)

Lorraine Hanlon is Full Professor of Astronomy at University College Dublin (UCD), where she did her undergraduate (BSc) and graduate (MSc and PhD) degrees in Experimental Physics. She was a research fellow at the European Space and Technology Research Centre (ESTEC) in the Netherlands, ESA’s establishment for space mission development. She joined the academic staff of UCD in 1996, serving as Head of the School of Physics between 2008 and 2011. She is Chair of ESA’s Astronomy Working Group and is on the Council of the Royal Astronomical Society. Lorraine is programme director of UCD’s taught MSc in Space Science and Technology. Her main research interests are in gamma-ray bursts, multi-messenger astronomy, robotic telescopes, space instrumentation and CubeSats. She is Project Lead for EIRSAT-1, Ireland’s first satellite, a CubeSat being developed by UCD students under ESA’s ‘Fly Your Satellite’ programme.

Ralph “Dinz” Dinsley | NORSS

Ralph “Dinz” Dinsley is a retired RAF Officer with more than 32 years of service. His distinguished career culminated in leading MOD contribution to global Space Situational Awareness (SSA) in 2 significant programmes and his unique military space experience was underpinned as a CAS Fellow, with an MA in Peace and Development from Leeds Beckett University. Dinz is the Founder and Executive Director of Northern Space & Security Ltd, a rapidly expanding Space Situational Awareness company based in the Northumberland, providing expert advice to governments, commercial and academic space, and, tracking and assessing objects operating in space. He is also an observer on the Hague International Space Resources Governance Working Group and a regular speaker/participant in numerous global space events.

Jeroen Wink | Dawn Aerospace

Jeroen Wink is the CEO and Co-founder of Dawn Aerospace. He obtained his MSc in Aerospace Engineering from the Delft University of Technology, with his thesis focused on the development of disruptive spacecraft propellant. Jeroen led the DARE team of 40 engineers in the Stratos II sounding rocket project, successfully designing and executing its record-breaking launch. He now heads teams across both the Netherlands and New Zealand, designing, building and integrating high performance green bi-propellant propulsion products for small and large satellites. The company is delivering the world’s first alternative to hydrazine-based propulsion products and is in the development of a fully reusable “gas-and-go” space plane, for small payload launches.

Dr Gergo Mezohegyi | InnoStudio Inc

Gergo works as manager of the space chemistry division at InnoStudio, which is a high-risk, high-gain corporation in Budapest and member of the Darholding Group, being one of the largest upstream technology networks in the Central European region. He develops projects for the creation of technologies, processes and standards towards performing chemistry in primarily microgravity environments, so as for enabling new chemistry-based inventions that contribute to the economy. Previously, he worked in Hungary developing innovative environmental technologies for five years. After receiving his PhD in chemical engineering at Rovira i Virgili University in Spain, he was granted for lead researcher positions in Belgium and Slovenia.

Prof Mini C. Saaj | University of Lincoln

Prof Mini C. Saaj is the Global Chair in Robotic Engineering at the University of Lincoln, UK, where she is also the lead for research in Industrial Digitalisation and System Intelligence. Previously, she was the Head of Robotics and Control research group and the Director of Post Graduate Research at the Surrey Space Centre. Her expertise ranges from building pace robots to surgical robots. Join her at the careers launch to learn about opportunities for young professionals in space and how she succeeded in building up her career as an internationally renowned Space Engineer, Roboticist, Control Engineer and a leading academic in the UK Higher Education.

Andrew Patterson | ICONIC RF

Andrew graduated in Electrical & Electronic Engineering at Queen’s University Belfast in 1988. He subsequently also studied microwave GaAs PHEMT transistor modelling at Queen's University for his PhD, graduating in 1993 before going to work for HP-EEs in California. He returned to a Lecturer position in High Frequency Electronics in Queen's University and in 1996 he co-founded Merlin Microwave as a University spin-out. In 1998 he became Engineering Manager when Silicon Valley based Celeritek took over the team to set up their design centre in Belfast. At Celeritek Andrew led a team of engineers developing RF and Microwave PowerAmplifiers (PAs) for mobile phone and satellite phone handsets, and linear power amplifiers for point to point communications. In Dec 2017 Andrew became Managing Director of ICONIC RF which he co-founded with 5 colleagues from the design team. ICONIC RF develops new GaAs and GaN MMIC components for rapidly growing sectors in 5G, Satellite, and Aerospace and Defence. The company has state of the art RF and microwave test and modelling facilities at its base in the Innovation Factory along with a wealth of experience in GaN technology, which has enabled them to be successful in developing state of the art components.