SG[Nordic-Baltic] Organising Team
Our organising team spans all across the Nordic and Baltic region, and are so excited to create an memorable event for you!
Kiira works as product manager at a Finnish space technology company ASRO, leading the development of instruments like the Mini Fluorescence Microscope for space-based biosciences. She holds two master’s degrees, one in Space Physics from University of Turku, and the second in Space Technology, obtained through the SpaceMaster programme at Luleå University of Technology. During her studies, she was the founding president of Giron Space Organisation and worked as a project manager in the academic rocket project RAVEN. Since 2023, she has been Finland’s National Point of Contact at SGAC, working to connect the young space community in Finland and to foster connections within the broader European space network.
Tiia is an MSc student in Computational Science & Engineering at TU Munich, Germany. While she comes from Finland, she completed her BSc in Aerospace Engineering at TU Delft where she spent much of her time in the rocketry team DARE, working on projects ranging from control of rocket engines to trajectory simulations. After organising European Space Camp in Norway for 5 years and attending SGC 2022 in Paris, she is continuing organising space events as SGAC’s National Point of Contact for Finland.
Benjamin is a Finnish, Helsinki-born, space enthusiast with a background in Electronics and Computer Science from Aalto University. Currently participating in the international SpaceMaster programme, Benjamin has been living in icy cold Kiruna, Sweden, for the past year and will conduct the final stretch of his MSc studies in Toulouse, France, this year. Throughout his studies at Aalto, Benjamin was actively involved in many societies and student life and gained experience in leadership, fundraising and organising large-scale events. As an SGAC newcomer, Benjamin is eager to become an active member and attend many more events in the future!
Already as an undergraduate student, Ric Dengel involved himself in the international student team in leading roles within the QUEST and ASTER REXUS/BEXUS projects. His master’s internship and Young Graduate Traineeship at ESA’s focused on studying the deployment of artificial intelligence onboard spacecraft. To present his findings he participated at the IAC 2021 and was invited to SGC 2021, his first of many SGAC events. Now he is a PhD candidate at the Tartu Observatory working on ESA’s Comet Interceptor and NPOC of Estonia.
Matti is doing his master’s in electrical engineering at TU Munich, builds communication systems for wildfire detection satellites at OroraTech and develops free-space optical communication systems at DLR. He has lived in the UK, Finland and is currently based in Munich. At SGAC, he has participated in local and global level events as delegate and as part of the organizing team. In his free time, Matti enjoys nature and plays the trumpet in a big band.
Deepa is a Space Master Alumni from the south Indian city of Chennai and has completed her undergraduate studies in Aerospace Engineering. She spent the first year of her masters in Kiruna, Sweden enjoying the beautiful Arctic winter. For her second year at Aalto University, she moved to Espoo, Finland and successfully completed her studies in Space Robotics and Automation.
Since graduation in 2023, she has been working with space weather instrumentation at ASRO in Turku, Finland. With many years of experience in planning, event management and fundraising, she is looking forward to organising her first SGAC event in Helsinki alongside a wonderful team!
Samuils is a student at the Technical University of Munich, currently pursuing a degree in Aerospace. Originally from Latvia, Samuils moved to Germany for his studies and has been living there for the past seven years. Before following his passion for space, Samuils worked as a consultant in the civil engineering field, which is his initial academic background. Alongside his studies, he is also working at a German space startup, Starflight Dynamics, which focuses on bringing manufacturing into Earth’s orbit.
Didun is from Newport, Wales, born in Nigeria. He is a Doctoral student at Luleå University of Technology researching Design and Qualification of Additive Manufacturing (AM) for Space Applications. He holds an MSc in Astronautics and Space Engineering from Cranfield University, having read General Engineering at Grey College, Durham University. Didun received the Royal Academy of Engineering and RAeS MSc Award and obtained a Joint UKSA-ESA scholarship to attend the International Space University’s Space Studies Program; hosted by NASA Glenn Research Centre in Ohio, USA.
Before his PhD, Didun was the Programme Manager for the Board of the UK Government’s Aerospace Growth Partnership. He also worked on Design for AM for aerospace structures at the GKN Aerospace AM Centre in Bristol, UK.
Aapo is a MSc student in space engineering, currently enrolled in Paul Sabatier University in Toulouse, France. Originally from Helsinki, Aapo has a previous career in software engineering, but chose last year to pursue his interest in space technology through the SpaceMaster program. After a year of getting immersed in space through studies and as the project manager of the student CubeSat APTAS in Kiruna, Sweden, Aapo is more excited than ever of what’s ahead. Joining SGAC in the previous Finnish Winter Satellite Workshop in January 2024, Aapo is now looking forward to organizing and taking part in SG[Nordic-Baltic] 2025.
Rannveig is currently pursuing her PhD in structural engineering at NTNU in Trondheim, Norway, where she previously obtained her MSc in mechanical engineering. Her research focuses on hypervelocity impact and modelling impacts from orbital debris and micrometeoriods on spacecraft shielding.
She has been involved with SGAC since 2018, has previously been NPoC for Norway, and was part of the organising team for SGC2022, and is excited about creating an amazing event for the Nordic and Baltic space community!
All the way from the other side of the pond, in high altitude cold Colombian grounds, he is Julian. With a bachelor’s degree in mechatronics engineering. He comes with a professional experience including, but not limited to, telecommunications, robotics, manufacturing and customer service.
Motivated by a great aerospace interest, that has led him to Finland, where he is now a second-year master’s student, in robotics and automation systems, and where he also started working in the space research sector.
He recently joined SGAC, and is looking forward to contribute and be part of space Events helping other people to join space industry as well.
