The Asia-Pacific Space Generation Online Workshop is organised by a diverse team of SGAC volunteers. You can get to know a little more about them here!
Event Manager
Uthpala Perera (Sri Lanka)
Uthpala Perera is a Technology Entrepreneur who has experience in process and product innovations from conceptualization phase to commercialization. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Chemical and Process Engineering from University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka and is currently pursuing her master’s degree in business administration. She has been involved with SGAC since 2017 and she is the NPOC Sri Lanka. Uthpala has contributed to the publications, “Approaches and Solutions for Martian Spacesuit Design” and “Manned Mars Mission Risks Evaluation” which were presented at International Astronautical Congress. She has been continuously working in the area of space and astronomy for Asia Pacific Region for past years and was an organizing team member and moderator for Asia Pacific Space Generation Workshop in 2018 and 2019.
Co-Event Manager
Tsuyoshi Shikida (Japan)
Tsuyoshi is currently an undergraduate student in Space Systems Engineering at Kyushu Institute of Technology, Japan. He had unique experiences such as joining the International Space Camp 2014 in the Republic of Korea, engaging in the launch experiment of the Hybrid rocket, 2016, and being part of experimentation under microgravity in the Space Education Program(T-SEP) at Tokyo University of Science, 2017. He had participated in AP-SGW 2016 at the Republic of the Philippines as the youngest delegate. Besides, he also participated in AP-SGW 2018 at Nagoya, Japan.
Risk Manager
Samu Eshima (Japan)
As a PhD student at the University of Colorado Boulder, Samu studies the next generation Life Support Systems for a human spacecraft. He has experience working with both NASA and JAXA as an intern and hopes to contribute to the future human space exploration through international cooperation. Samu’s first experience with SGAC was the third AP-SGW in the Philippines. He also attended previous SGC, SGF, SGFF and is now the National Point of Contact for Japan.
Program Team
Quentin Verspieren (France)
Quentin Verspieren is researcher at the Science, Technology, and Innovation Governance (STIG) program of the University of Tokyo. He primarily works on space policymaking and technology development in developing countries and on the role of the military in space safety and sustainability. Dr Verspieren has two master’s degrees in aerospace engineering (ISAE-Supaéro and The University of Tokyo) and a Ph.D. in public policy (The University of Tokyo). He is fellow at the Japan Space Forum in Tokyo, associate research fellow at the European Space Policy Institute in Vienna and holds consultancy positions with the Japanese government and Japanese space ventures.
Florence Pauline Basubas (Philippines)
Florence Pauline Basubas is an early career scientist, working on applying Sustainability, Education and Evidence – based Policy making in the fields of Healthcare, Environment, and Space. She has had years of experience working both in academia and industry, in laboratory and field, and in basic and applied research. In her spare time, she remotely leads a national science mentoring program and a national space education program in her home country, the Philippines.
Dasuni Hewawasam (Sri Lanka)
Dasuni Hewawasam is a final year student majoring in physics at South Eastern University of Sri Lanka. She is currently engaged in her final year research on modelling the Helmholtz cage for ground testing of ADCS of Cube satellites at Arthur C Clarke Institute for Modern Technologies Sri Lanka. Being a space enthusiast, she joined SGAC in 2018 and has been engaged in activities that enhance her skills in the field. She is a Project Manager of Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS) Sri Lanka. She is organizing and attending space related workshops and events as well as putting her effort in popularizing space sciences among mass people. She believes “Space is everywhere for everyone”.
Communication Team
Takeshi Ikeda (Japan)
Takeshi Ikeda is a Master Student studying Systems Engineering at Keio University Graduate School of System Design and Management in Japan. He is passionate in using his geospatial information experience from his Bachelor’s degree to solve social issues by using Google EarthEngine and educate the public about it. Takeshi has been involved in SGAC since the 3rd AP-SGW in the Philippines where he first became acquainted with SGAC’s activities. He has also attended the 6th AP-SGW in Nagoya, Japan as a member of the organizing team.
Gracio Joyal Lobo (India)
Gracio Joyal is an Engineer at Ankit Fasteners (a joint venture with LISI Aerospace, France). He has worked on projects involving manufacturing of Aerospace Fasteners for launch vehicles and the upcoming Human Spaceflight program of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). He has done his Bachelor’s in Aerospace Engineering from Jain University, Bengaluru. His project on wing design was awarded the INAE Innovative Student Project Award 2019. He has been involved with SGAC since 2015 and was a delegate for 4th AP-SGW, India & SpaceGen United. Recently, he was a part of the SGAC Team which participated in Mars City State Design Competition 2020, and was one among top 20 semi-finalists.
B V Ashen Chathuranga (Sri Lanka)
Ashen Chathuranga is an undergraduate student pursuing his Bachelor’s degree in Physics. Together with his regular degree he is also involved in the promotion of space science and astronomy in Sri Lanka for years. Currently he is serving as a lecturer at institute of Astronomy, Sri Lanka.
Delegate Team
Yasith Ramawickrama (Sri Lanka)
Yasith Ramawickrama is a Lecturer at the Sri Lanka Planetarium. Yasith obtained a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka majoring in Physics, Electronics and Pure Mathematics as subjects and a Masters Degree from the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka, majoring in Applied Electronics. He has been actively involved with SGAC since 2012 and he was a previous NPoC for Sri Lanka. During his tenure as an NPoC, he did lots of Space awareness programmes throughout the country as well as the Asia-Pacific region. Yasith has been involved with AP-SGWs since the 1st event and he was the awardee of the Asia-Pacific Space Leader Award last year 2019.
Peerarust Siriamphan (Thailand)
Peerarust Siriamphan is a Senior Software Engineer at MobiLife International Ltd., where his work involves research and developing digital banking platforms that reinvent how the bank works in Thailand. He graduated in Mechanical Engineering at King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang. He is always actively involved in numerous youth activities in Thailand focused on Technology and innovation. His first involvement in the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC) begins with participating in the 6th Asia-Pacific Space Generation Workshops (AP-SGW). After the program, he has intended to be active in the SGAC. Peerarust is very enthusiastic about the topic of space and wants to share the world, the beauty and the endless future opportunity that space is able to give us.
Minh-Trang Nguyen Thi (Vietnam)
Minh-Trang Nguyen Thi is currently pursuing her Bachelor’s degree in Space Engineering at the International University – Vietnam National University in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Her professional interest lies in the field of Remote Sensing/Earth Observation. She has worked for one summer as an intern at the Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics in service to the proposed SPICA project and learned how to operate high-tech equipment and communicate in a professional working environment. Her strength is her ability to think critically, communicate and teamwork effectively in a group, and work efficiently on her own. Outside of schoolwork, she enjoys reading books, learning foreign languages, and playing her harmonica.
