In cooperation with UK Space Agency (UKSA), SGAC are pleased to announce Nikita Shetti and Eugene Rotherham as the winners of the 2023 SGAC – UK Space Agency Scholarship. The winners will be sponsored to attend the 21st Space Generation Congress (September 28– 30 2023) and will be granted free access to the 74th International Astronautical Congress (October 2–6 2023) in Baku, Azerbaijan.
SGAC Announces the Winners of the 2023 SGAC – UK Space Agency Scholarship
Nikita Shetti
| Nikita is a Space Engineer at Airbus and has been working in the space industry for nearly 2 years. She is the winner of the Top 50 Women in Engineering (WE50) 2023 and holds a Bachelor’s in Aerospace Engineering with a Master’s specialising in Astronautics. Besides being a space enthusiast, she is passionate about sustainability, creative writing and volunteering as a STEM Ambassador. Her advocacy in STEM Outreach includes volunteering with the SGAC PADAWANS Diversity and Inclusion Group to lead interactive space workshops in primary schools, speaking at career fairs in colleges and being a panellist at university conferences on Allies and Leadership. Nikita is also involved in multiple corporate volunteering programmes for efficient site development and employee networking to lead group communications, blogs on employee forums and speaking at her company’s webinar focusing on upcoming space technologies. |
I feel honoured and grateful to receive this scholarship, and I am thrilled to attend the SGC and IAC this year to meet students and young professionals from around the globe united by their passion for space. Looking forward to seeing some skyrocketing ideas and research!
Eugene Rotherham
Eugene Rotherham is a London-based Astrophysics and Space Science graduate at the University of Kent. His academic portfolio includes the conceptual design of an in-orbit assembled space-based solar power system, detecting earth resident space objects and studying crater formations on the lunar and martian surface. After graduating, Eugene joined the start-up Atheras Analytics as a Machine Learning Intern, which was awarded through the UK Space Agency’s SPIN program. There he is working to develop a power-outage prediction algorithm to tackle the detrimental effects of clouds on optical satellite communication links and add to the company’s suite of novel AI-based network tools. In parallel, he is a volunteer researcher with SGAC’s Small Satellites Project Group. His latest contribution analysing current and future space debris mitigation and removal techniques for small satellites in low earth orbit will be presented at the 74th International Astronautical Congress. He has also been accepted to pursue a Masters in Space Technology at University College London to explore the applications of space further.
Receiving the SGAC – UK Space Agency Scholarship to attend the 21st SGC and 74th IAC is a tremendous privilege. I would like to thank the people at SGAC and the UK Space Agency for the chance to engage with all the brilliant minds working to push the envelope of space and its benefits to humanity.
