RAeS YPC Conference: Next Generation Opportunities In Space

Xander Hall, Mission Systems Engineer, Airbus

Xander Hall is a Mission Systems Engineer for Airbus Defence and Space, focusing on topics such as robotics and in-orbit servicing. His previous projects include developing the harpoon payload for the RemoveDEBRIS project, performing Mars rover operational field trials in deserts, as well as many more.

Dr Daniel Olaiya BMBS DAvMed MRAeS, Anaesthesia Trainee - North Central London School of Anaesthesia

GAMMA Aviation Air Ambulance Flight Physician and Co- Host - Aerospace Medicine Podcast

Since getting a taste for MEDEVAC during his time in Aberdeen Dr Daniel Olaiya has been immersed in all things Aviation medicine as an intercontinental fixed wing air ambulance flight Physician, international medical assistance doctor, achieving the diploma of Aviation Medicine and pursuing research in space medicine. Passionate about the cross section between medicine, aviation, technology and global health Daniel aims to close the gap in these areas with his work. Currently he is an anaesthesia trainee at the north central school of anaesthesia, a public health medical officer based at Heathrow and a member of the Royal Aeronautical society with a view to continue gaining experience in Aviation and Aerospace medicine.

Dr Rohan Sant, Academic Foundation Doctor

Rohan is an Academic FY2 doctor working in the East of England. He has been interested in aviation all of his life and is interested in ways of exploring this further from a career aspect through the field of Aviation and Space Medicine. Through his involvement with the University of London Air Squadron and attending the Principles of Aviation and Space Medicine course headed by flight surgeons at UTMB, Galveston, he has seen the role of aviation medicine internationally and uses the ‘Aerospace Medicine podcast’ to share the stories of those at various stages of the field. 

Dr Anna E. Hogg, Associate Professor, School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds

Dr Anna Hogg works at the Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science and is co-director of the NERC SENSE Earth Observation Centre for Doctoral Training. Dr Hogg gained a first class a BSc from the University of Edinburgh, followed by a MSc from ISU which was combined with a research placement in the DLR Earth Observation centre. Dr Hogg worked at ESA ESRIN before completing a PhD in Earth Observation of the cryosphere at the University of Leeds. In 2019 Dr Hogg was appointed as a University Academic Fellow at the University of Leeds and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2021. In 2020 Dr Hogg was given the European Geophysical Union Cryosphere Division Outstanding Early Career Scientist award. Dr Hogg’s primary field of expertise is Earth Observation of the Polar regions and has broad experience of collaborative research, having managed, led or worked on 17 international research projects funded by ESA, NERC, UKSA & NASA; collaborated with international project partners from 35 institutions in 11 countries. Dr Hogg is deeply connected to the international Earth observation community, and through her role on the UK Space Agencies, Earth Observation Advisory Committee and the ESA ROSE-L Mission Advisory Group.

Nicholas Puschman, Lawyer, Bird & Bird LLP

Nicholas Puschman is a lawyer in the London offices of international law firm, Bird & Bird LLP. He works predominantly on commercial law and regulatory matters for clients in the space, satellite, technology and communications projects and is a member of the firm’s Space & Satellite Activities group. Previously, Nicholas worked in the legal department of the European Space Agency at its headquarters in Paris. Nicholas is actively involved in the space sector in the UK and Europe. He is an elected member to the board of the European Centre for Space Law (ECSL), has been published on international space law and telecoms law, and teaches space law to Masters students at Strathclyde Law School, Glasgow. In 2020, he was selected as one of the “20 under 35” international rising stars by Space & Satellites Professionals International (SSPI) and, in 2021, was recognised as a leading satellite lawyer in Who’s Who Legal global rankings.

Federico Giusto, Space Systems Engineer, ispace inc

Federico is an Italian and Luxembourgish space systems engineer at ispace inc.’s European office in Luxembourg City, a deep space exploration startup working on the world’s first commercial lunar program and currently designing, building, and testing a suite of robotic landers and mobile rovers for prospection and exploration of the Moon. He holds a First-class Honours Masters degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Loughborough University and was awarded the department's Enterprise Award for outstanding engineering contributions during his placement year in industry at GE Aviation Systems in Cheltenham; at GE he worked in the Avionics & Controls division and supported both commercial and military projects including the F-35 JSF RIO, B777X and its first flight, and B787 in the areas of hardware verification and validation, software integration and testing, and process optimisation and project management. Prior to joining ispace, Federico undertook technical internships at SES Satellites (one of the world’s leading broadband communications providers with over 70 satellites in orbit), and Amazon Robotics, where he contributed to the design, prototype, and launch of novel mechatronics machines in the EU-wide supply chain in the field of vision systems and autonomous vehicles. He is an Associate Member and Interim Chartered Engineer of the Royal Aeronautical Society, which he joined whilst still at University as a Student Affiliate.

Sponsor Presentations

Alexandra Barker, Earth Observation & Climate Marketing and Sales Manager, Telespazio UK

Alexandra Barker works at Telespazio UK as the Earth Observation (EO) & Climate Marketing and Sales Manager. She currently represents Telespazio in groups such as the ESA pre-PBEO (Programme Board for Earth Observation), UK Space Agency Industrial Policy Committee, UKSpace EO Committee, and Space4Climate. Ally has a background in satellite remote sensing with a BSc from the University of Southampton and MSc from the University of Edinburgh. Previously, Ally worked at Airbus as Geo-Intelligence Business Development Manager responsible for a portfolio of EO-enabled solutions and services and managed a multimillion pound pipeline of UK and European institutional business. She joined Airbus from the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) where she developed a quality assurance framework and verification service to deliver reliable, satellite-derived datasets. She later became an International Business Development Manager representing the Instruments Division at NPL working with commercial and government organisations to help bring science and innovation to the market.

Ryan Bell, Geo-Information Product Engineer, Telespazio UK

Ryan Bell studied Physical Geography at the University of Leeds, including an industrial placement year in Environmental Health and Safety with General Electric. Since graduating, Ryan has gained over two years’ experience as a GIS Consultant with Delta Simons, where his responsibilities included developing and implementing desktop and mobile-GIS solutions, effectively supporting hundreds of clients across complex multi-disciplinary environmental projects. At Telespazio UK, Ryan currently focusses on developing satellite-derived solutions for the customers of the Geo-Information Group. He provides engineering and technical support for the expansions of the Geo-Information Group, with a focus on customer facing interaction and technical bid support. His responsibilities also include co-ordination of the Geo-Information Products of Telespazio UK, ensuring alignment with Telespazio UK strategy as well as transnational Telespazio initiatives.His previous projects include an ESA-Future Earth COP26 Demonstrator: Satellite Monitoring for Post-storm Beach Recovery – Gold Coast, and an ESA Business Applications kick-starter: VisionV – a solution to improve situational awareness and asset management by combing data derived from space-borne assets (very-high res optical, elevation, structural health) with end-user data using 3D GIS technology.