Ada Ranieri is a mechanical engineer from Italy. Currently enrolled in an industrial PhD program at Polytechnic University of Bari, and Sitael SpA – an aerospace company. Her research topic is related to the development of a predictive method for shock loads on a multi-application satellite.
Ada is passionate and involved in several space-related activities and organizations, ranging from the International Space University, ESA Academy, to the no-profit Space Generation Advisory Council. After being involved in the organization of the previous European Space Generation Workshop, she is currently the Event Manager of the next edition that will take place in her hometown, Bari.
Her curiosity for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) brought her to deepen a wide range of interests. In her studies, she is particularly focused on structural dynamics and industrial manufacturing, with an eye toward long-term sustainability. Enthusiastic about policy and space law.
Giuliana Rotola is a space law and policy researcher. She is a Ph.D. student in Sustainable Development and Climate Change at Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, a Research Fellow at the Center for Space Governance, and she works as Implementation Support Officer for the Global Expert Group on Sustainable Lunar Activities (GEGSLA). She worked at European Southern Observatory on the impact of satellite constellations on astronomy and as a summer research fellow with the Legal Priorities Project. Furthermore, she holds a joint bachelor’s and master’s degree from the University of Trento in Comparative, European, and Transnational Law and a Master of Space Studies from the International Space University (ISU).
Before joining ISU, she conducted research at the European Centre for Space Law (ECSL – ESA) and in the Institut du Droit de l’Espace et des Télécommunications (IDEST), and worked at the Leuven Centre for Global Governance Studies. Giuliana was also a research fellow at the Open Lunar Foundation and a 2020 Fellow in Space Studies at the Foresight Institute. Within the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC), she serves as Policy and Advocacy Coordinator and as Space Law and Policy Project Group Co-Lead.
Coordination Team
Doctoral candidate at the IRT Saint Exupéry in Toulouse, France, Nikolena Christofi started her research career in educational and space robotics, before getting involved in the field of space systems. She has worked at ESA and GMV and has lived in Athens, Leiden and Madrid. Her research topics combine Model-Based Systems Engineering, Model-Based Safety Assessment and Operational Diagnostics. She has previously held the position of financial manager of the sixth European Space Generation Workshop. Nikolena is an active advocate for Women in STEM and a retired soft skills trainer.
Francesco Ventre, is the Innovation Manager of Confindustria Brescia and Technical Director of Innexhub, Brescia’s Digital Innovation Hub. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Naples “Federico II” and a master’s degree in Space Engineering from Politecnico di Milano with a thesis focused on the evolutionary dynamics of asteroid ejecta particles around binary systems, in collaboration with the University of Liverpool.
He also attended the ISU Space Studies Program in 2021 with an ESA scholarship, learning more about space entrepreneurship and developing a cislunar transport project sponsored by Virgin Orbit. Passionate about space entrepreneurship and economy, he is the co-founder (and former CEO) of Walle srl, the first Italian airline for “taxi-drone” vehicles and consultant/advisor for several aerospace startups. Moreover, he served as a judge for the NASA Space Apps Challenge 2020 and the 4th Italian Space Startup Competition by SGAC.
He is a member of the SGAC, AIDAA, Women In Aerospace and ECSECO. He is in the Advisory Board of Polispace, the first space association of Politecnico di Milano that he co-founded in 2020 and led for one year. At the end of 2021 he also gave birth to SEDS Italia, the cluster of Italian universities space associations and he is now one of the co-chairs. He is author and co-author of several conference proceedings. His hobbies include cooking and listening to music.
Antonia Kardamaki is an LLB and LLM in Civil Law, Civil Procedure and Labour Law graduate, currently pursuing a MSc in ICT: Law and Policy at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. She works as a legal consultant in Greece, specializing in corporate law. She co-founded Space Analytica, a non-profit entity for space consulting. The main focus of her research is on the protection of intellectual property rights for space activities and the correlation between law and technology. Her most recent publication is on the protection of personal data in virtual worlds. In pursuit of her passion for space, her persistence drives her to expand her knowledge multilaterally.
Communication Team
Rebecca is an Instrument Development Scientist working at RAL Space in the UK. She is currently working on the SPEQTRE cubesat mission, due to be launched in 2024. Her background is in Physics, having completed a PhD at the University of Cambridge. In 2020 she was part of the first ISP run by the International Space University, working on a project on space applications to pandemics. She has been a member of SGAC since the start of 2022 and attended the SGC in Paris in September 2022. She is also an active member of Women in Aerospace Europe, participating in the working group on the Visibility of Female Experts. Additionally, she is working with local schools to encourage students to consider a career in the space industry.
Preve is an architect student of Masters at the National School of Architecture of Paris-Belleville. She did a one-year exchange at Hanyang University in Seoul in Architecture and Korean language. After defending a thesis on the role of architects in the construction of space stations, she is carrying out a graduation project on Kitchens in Microgravity Environments. She has been a member of SGAC since September 2022. She participated in the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Paris in 2022, as well as in the 7th Symposium of Space Architecture. She is also passionate about dance and photography.
Nadia is an Astrophysics University of Glasgow graduate and Strathclyde University Physics Student from Glasgow. She has participated in an Analog mission as an Analog Astronaut at the Analog Astronaut Training Center. She is involved with multiple space promoting organisations, has worked as a 999 Emergency Operator and in the Highlands of Scotland’s hospitality industry. She has also been part of GlobalGirlMedia’s Summer School in London. Nadia’s hope is to utilise her experience across multiple industries and space sectors to empower those with a passion for space to join the community.
Program Team
Alvaro works as Mission Safety Analyst at the Civil Aviation Authority assessing licence applications for commercial spaceflight activities in the UK. He focuses on flight safety analysis for launch operators, ensuring their activities are performed safely. He holds a PhD in Astrophysics from the University of Oxford, where he developed machine learning algorithms for the calibration of large-scale telescopes. Alvaro is passionate about the space industry and research.
Experience in DevOps, Fleet Operations, Early Launch Mission Operations and Mission Planning.
MEng in Aeronautics and Astronautics/ Spacecraft Engineering.
Florian Kuegerl is an Austrian young professional graduating from the University of Glasgow in 2021. Currently employed as a Finance Trainee within the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), he has previous experience in sustainable finance, European financial regulation and primary market funding from his previous roles at the European Securities & Markets Authority (ESMA) as a member of the Sustainable Finance team, and at BNP Paribas within the Primary Markets Division. Graduating with a Bachelor with Honours in Finance & Accounting, he has additional experience in public speaking, data analysis, EU grants & procurement procedures and EU downstream space policy.Interested in a future career within the space industry, Florian wishes to promote the safe and sustainable market development of space for future exploration and commercialization. In particular, he hopes to use his current experience to assist both non-profits, corporations and SMEs in securing EU public funding for future endeavors in this field. Within the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC), he serves as a member of the Programs Team for the 7th European Space Generation Workshop.
Salman Ali is an Aerospace engineer from Pakistan and is currently pursuing his doctorate at UniBw-Munich as a Munich Aerospace Scholar. He is passionate about education, sustainability and market opportunities within the space ecosystem. He completed his BSc. from the Institute of Space Technology, Pakistan, with an exchange semester from the University of Missouri-Columbia, U.S.A. During this time, he participated in organising country-wide mega space events in Pakistan, including world space week, space summer school, and international conferences, such as ICASE. Besides, he also participated in NASA Space Apps and ActInSpace and led his team to 1st position nationally in 2016 and 2018. Later, he completed his MSc. from the Skolkovo Institute of Science & Technology, Russia. As part of his MSc. degree, he also participated in a joint workshop by EPFL-Skoltech for On-orbit Servicing, Debris & Proximity Operations. He is currently a Munich Aerospace PhD scholar at Universität der Bundeswehr, Germany, working on AI-based Onboard Collision Avoidance in Large Multi-Satellite Systems. At the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC), Salman Ali serves as partnerships lead for the space safety and sustainability project group while also serving as National Coordinator for Germany at the Moon Village Association (MVA). Moreover, he has had an opportunity to serve as a student council president, student club president, event manager, and team lead on multiple occasions.
Logistics Team
llaria is finishing her studies in Building and Architectural Engineering at Politecnico di Milano. During her time at university she participated in many extra curricular activities and thanks to one of them, in collaboration with Politecnico di Torino, she discovered her interest in Space Architecture. In her thesis, she is studying automation systems in the construction industry through the use of Additive Layering Manufacturing in combination with In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU), to build structures on the lunar surface. Studying in an international setting, she developed a strong collaborative spirit based on sharing multidisciplinary knowledge to solve complex problems. She has also taken Leadership courses to better understand the dynamics within a team and team management as she aspires to work on international projects. In parallel with her studies, she worked at a communications agency in Milan and had the opportunity to deepen her interest in science communication and outreach also through social media as content creators. She dedicated to volunteer activities, especially with children to introduce them to the STEM field. She is currently a member of SGAC, she was in the organizzation team of the 4th Italian Space Startup Competiton and now she is in the organization team of the 7th Eropean Space Generation Workshop. She is also a member of SEDS Italy, working in the team of Cultural Affairs as a Project Manager fot the 2nd edition of the SEDS Italy Space Conference.
Davide Paparella is a young Mechanical Engineer, fascinated about the space, technology and phisics. I want to be a part of SGAC because I shall spend my free time in the activities of the association, looking forward to meet people with the same hobbies, field of studies and background. The most important thing that the association could putting me in connection with people from all the corners of the globe, arranging events for the organization, industries, sponsorship and people engaged in this unique field.
Aeronautical Engineering Undergraduate Student at the University of São Paulo and current Double Degree program student for M.Sc. at Politecnico di Milano in Space Engineering.
Luca is currently a Business Analyst at Leaf Space, where he deals with both technical and commercial aspects related to ground segments. Born and raised in Italy, he is fulfilling his dream of working in the space sector. Still a newbie for what concerns SGAC, he is willing to be increasingly involved in it. Always looking ahead, he is very flexible, hard-working and optimistic. He is also very passionate about Tolkien, and enjoy collecting unusual editions of his books.
Delegates Team
Leonor Teles is a Medical Doctor and ISU Space Studies Program 2022 graduate with a joint scholarschip from ESA and PT Space. Apart from her medical education, she learned how to code by completing Harvard’s Computer Science 50 course and completing an advanced course on Artificial Inteligence and Data Science for healthcare professionals. She combined her medical degree and computer science skills to lead multidisciplinary teams in digital health hackathons, attaining podiums. Recently, her interest in Space Medicine has lead her to join different research projects about intracranial hypertension (University of Lisbon) and effects of radiation on the central nervous system (systematic review volunteer team for an ESA Space Medicine project). She’s currently a member of SGAC, SMLS and CEMCA.
Zhen is a medical doctor with an interest in the safety of human spaceflight. She has most recently presented her research where she worked with multidisciplinary teams on radiation safety for female space travellers and human physiology during deep space missions at the IAC 2022 in Paris. Having been involved with SGAC since 2019, she has enjoyed undertaking multiple roles with responsibilities on the committee of the Space Medicine & Life Sciences group, and organising the 10th Space Generation Fusion Forum. Zhen previously volunteered as an UK STEM ambassador where she supported widening participation in higher education through mentoring high school students, and was responsible for the expansion of a Global Outreach project (kids2.space) as part of the United Nations’ Space4Women Network.
She is currently working as a clinical research fellow in Intensive Care and will be pursuing medical training in anaesthesiology.
