Speakers

Speaker biographies updated daily.

Matthew Stuttard - Airbus

Matthew Stuttard joined what is now Airbus Defence and Space in 2006 and is currently the Advanced Concepts Architect for Space Systems in the UK. Until 2013 he was head of Future Programmes in Science and Planetary Exploration. Before Airbus he worked for Logica (now CGI) and two small companies, accumulating 20 years’ experience in satellite imaging applications and geospatial information systems. Today he is concerned with bringing new types of space system into being, looking 5 to 10 years ahead on a range of topics including small launchers, space weather, space debris, space radar, radio-frequency sensing, new telecoms satellite architectures and in-space manufacturing.

Ahmad Ibrahim Bawamia - Ferdinand-Braun-Institut

Ahmad Bawamia received his bachelor's degree in mathematics and physics at Université Bordeaux I in Bordeaux, France in 2001 and his master's in optoelectronics engineering at école nationale supérieure des sciences appliquées et de technologie in Lannion, France in 2004. He then joined the Ferdinand-Braun-Institut, Leibniz-Institut für Höchstfrequenztechnik (FBH) in Berlin, Germany in 2005, working on the improvement of the spatial beam characteristics of broad-area semiconductor lasers. He obtained his doctoral degree at the technical university of Berlin in 2011. Since 2010, Ahmad is a full-time scientist at FBH, where he specializes in the development of micro-integrated semiconductor laser modules for precision spectroscopy applications, especially in space.

Chuck Lauer - Rocketplane Global

Mr. Lauer is a graduate of the University of Michigan College of Architecture & Urban Planning. He is a successful real estate planning consultant and developer, and the President of Peregrine Properties, Ltd. in Lansing, Michigan. Mr. Lauer has been responsible for negotiating, obtaining regulatory approvals and arranging financing for over $350 million in numerous successful real estate development projects; as well as having served as the Planning Commission Chairman in his local community for more than 10 years. He is also a co-founder and Vice President of Business Development for Rocketplane Global, Inc. He has been researching and developing potential business opportunities in space since 1991, and has published many general interest articles and technical papers on commercial space development.

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, in Scotland, UK. He is an (Astro)Physicist by training, with further degrees in Social Science and he is researching innovation as well as other social dimensions of Astronomy and Outer Space Exploration and Industry, using new methodological approaches and leading several international projects. For instance, he is the chairman of Gateway Earth Development Group, deputy chief executive officer for Astrosociology Research Institute, national point of contact at the Space Generation Advisory Council and lead coordinator of British Interplanetary Society Scotland Branch. He is also a university lecturer, tutor and mentor, and an award winning science communicator, with events delivered in several countries and in leading science and arts venues and festivals, including at the world-famous Edinburgh Fringe. You can find more about Matjaz, his work, and how to get in touch, at:www.roe.ac.uk/~vidmar

Xander Hall - Airbus

Xander Hall started his career working at the Surrey Space Centre in Guildford before moving to Airbus Defence and Space as a Mission Systems Engineer. Previous projects include developing a harpoon to capture space debris as well as running a team looking into robotic in-space manufacturing and assembly. Currently he is working on the design and assembly of a Martian rover, similar to ExoMars, that will be used for testing the operations of a mission to Mars. These trials will take place in deserts located in Spain and Chile in the coming months.

Dan Lim - Xtenti

Mr. Lim currently serves as the President and CEO of Xtenti, LLC, a new solutions provider seeking that bring disruptive enablers for the space industry and create tangible solution sets that intersect the space industry with other non-space industries. He has over seventeen years of experience in systems engineering and design on major Government and commercial programs, including mission integration for numerous Government space missions. Mr. Lim received a MS in Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Tech and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign. He also has served on Active Duty service in the Air Force in flight test, launch vehicle systems, and mission integration, and continues to serve as a Reservist for the Air Force.

Renee Cox - NASA

Renee I. Cox currently serves as deputy of the Payload Integration team for Space Launch System (SLS) at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Alabama, USA. She oversees integration of payloads onto SLS, NASA’s new heavy-lift rocket for human exploration of the moon and Mars, including 13 deep-space CubeSats on the first launch. Previously, Cox served as Chief Engineer for Systems Engineering at MSFC. Throughout her 31-year NASA career, she has been engaged in Systems Engineering and Integration and Project Management on a multitude of diverse spaceflight projects. Cox received her Bachelor of Industrial Engineering from Auburn University.

Ryoma Yamashiro - JAXA

Ryoma Yamashiro is a rocket system engineer on space propulsion system in JAXA. His present research interests include the Epsilon launch vehicle (Japanese latest solid rocket to launch small satellites) and future space transportation systems.

While working for JAXA since 2002, he has been involved in an advanced science technology program of the Japanese Cabinet Office and has once conducted one-year research on a spaceplane at DLR. He received a master's degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Tokyo in 2002.

Pete Blacker - Surrey Space Centre

Peter C. Blacker received a B.Sc. degree in computer science from the University of Manchester, Manchester, U.K. and an M.Sc. degree in space engineering from the University of Surrey, Guildford, U.K. He is a Ph.D. Researcher at the Surrey Space Centre, University of Surrey, Guildford, U.K., where he works in collaboration with the ExoMars development team at Airbus. He specializes in sensing and perception technologies for orbital and surface space missions. His current research efforts are focused on the increasing the technological capability of LiDAR for its adoption as an additional sensor in near-term planetary surface exploration missions exploiting his background in computer science, space engineering, and robotics.

Mila Savelyeva - GK Launch Services

Mila Savelyeva is responsible for the development and implementation of the communication strategy, tactical creative campaigns and ensuring advertising investment efficiency and media relations.

In 2006, Mila graduated from Togliatty State University with a specialty in enterprise economics and management. She began her professional career in JTI Marketing&Sales, where she was in charge of the marketing program development in Volga region.

In 2016, Mila joined Glavkosmos, where she supervised such areas as marketing strategy development and raising brand awareness. In 2017, Mila moved to GK Launch Services as a Director for Marketing Communications.

Robin Hague - Skyora

After an MSc in hybrid rocket engines at Salford University, Robin became involved in propulsion development with an X Prize team; culminating in the test firings of multi-tonne thrust liquid oxygen/rubber hybrids and LOX/kerosene bi-liquids at the UK Health and Safety Laboratory. Following the end of the X Prize attempts he moved into design engineering (including providing a food powered hybrid rocket to Sky TV), and latterly nuclear inspection robotics, before returning to rocket engines and launch vehicles with the Skyrora small satellite launch programme in Edinburgh.

Jason Forshaw - Astroscale

Dr Jason Forshaw is a chartered engineer with a decade of experience in aerospace research.  His research spans four institutions including Stanford University, and Surrey Space Centre, where he worked extensively with SSTL and Airbus.  His past industrial experience also includes Rolls-Royce, BAE Systems and QinetiQ.  His career has taken him from the Boeing 787 jet engine, to the Eurofighter aircraft, into unmanned vehicle design (including helicopters, quadrotors and tailsitters), and finally to the space sector!  

Working in the active debris removal field for the last several years, he uniquely has had experience with several debris missions: ESA’s e.DeOrbit, was formerly the consortium PM on the EU RemoveDebris mission that recently tested a net in space for the first time, and the ELSA-d mission.  Today, as the European R&D Manager for Astroscale, a growing "space junk removal" company, he is responsible for defining R&D strategy and developing future products and services.