Speakers

Dr Paul Scully-Power is an integrator, strategist and orthogonal thinker and is Australia’s first astronaut. He has a unique international background in Industry, Government and Academia in the US, UK, Australia, and NZ, and is well known for his network of people and institutions around the world. A leader in applying technology, he has broad expertise in defence, national security & intelligence, aviation & aerospace, cybersecurity, remote sensing, and systems analysis & ICT. He is currently engaged in artificial intelligence (national iAward for innovation), UAVs, microsatellites, smart sensors, nanotechnology and big data analytics.

Loredana Santo is full professor of Manufacturing processes at the University of Rome Tor Vergata, Italy. She is the head of the Department of Industrial Engineering and head of the Space Sustainability Center. She has been principal Investigator of experiments on board of the International Space Station, keynote speaker in many international conferences, organizer of several international symposia and involved in international activities and projects. Her scientific activity has been mainly focused on the following topics: innovative materials and manufacturing processes, industrial and Space sustainability. She is author of over 180 manuscripts accepted in international journals, books and conferences proceedings.

Prof. Fabrizio Quadrini (m), PhD, is full professor of Manufacturing Technologies in the Department of Industrial Engineering of the University of Rome Tor Vergata. During his career, he has collaborated with many industrial partners to design and optimize new processes and products. He has been S&T manager of European projects such as SMART (Sustainable Moulding of Articles from Recycled Tyres) and GreenPack (Fully recyclable 100% PET package for food contact with O2 barrier, improved transparency and low CO2 footprint) and coordinator of the research unit of his University in several national and international projects such as SMARTFAN (Smart by Design and Intelligent by Architecture for turbine blade fan and structural components systems). He is author of over 260 manuscripts accepted in international journals and conferences (173 on Scopus, Hindex =20). He has been member of ASME/MED Manufacturing Processes Technical Committee (MPTC) and the AITEM board, and is Coordinator of the Bachelor in Engineering Sciences and member of the board of the Doctorate in Industrial Engineering. His main scientific interests deal with laser processing of metals and plastics, forming and machining of materials, composite materials, cellular materials, manufacturing processes, additive manufacturing, smart and shape memory materials, technologies for recycling, smart materials for space application.

Dr Joni Sytsma is an aerospace engineer hailing from the USA who, as a recent citizen of Australia, is committed to building innovative technologies within our country. Dr Sytsma has over 16 years’ experience in the research, development and commercialisation of extremely complex aerospace systems where combined interactions of hardware, software and physics are the defining value-add.
As the Chief Technology Officer (iLAuNCH), Dr Sytsma leads the program’s research portfolio in space, satellites, rockets, hypersonics and advanced manufacturing and materials.
Joni was most recently Chief Technology Officer at Department 13 in the counter unmanned aerial systems field. Joni began her career with a decade of developing cutting edge aerospace systems at the United States Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). In her time at AFRL, Dr Sytsma led research and development teams to design and optimise aerospace technologies and develop academic concepts into fully tested systems.

Dr Sytsma moved to Australia to join the Hypersonic International Flight Research Experiment (HIFiRE) program with Defence Science and Technology (DST) group. She then joined Gilmour Space Technologies as Head of GNC to work on software stack development, performance simulations and design optimisations.

Associate Professor Marta Yebra is a leading expert in remote sensing and bushfire management and the director of the ANU-Optus Bushfire Research Centre of Excellence, which aims to develop technological solutions to protect Australian from catastrophic bushfires.

She has published more than 141 scientific papers and her research has been recognised through numerous awards, including the Max Day Environmental Science Award by the Australian Academy of Science, the CSIRO OCE Pyne-Scott career award and the Bushfire & Natural Hazards CRC’s Outstanding Achievement in Research Utilization award.

She was finalist for the Australian Space Awards' Academic of the Year and the National Resilient Australia Award. Marta Yebra has served on several advisory government bodies including the Australian Space Agency’s Bushfire Earth Observation Taskforce and Earth Observation Technical Advisory Group, the Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning’s Scientific Reference Panel and the ACT Multi Hazards Advisory Council.

Jackie has a diverse and long-standing background in education with first hand experience working with school children.
She was a school teacher for 25 years and later worked in the Department of Education analysing the NSW school curriculum and how it corresponds with student learning.
Jackie co founded One Giant Leap Australia Foundation with her husband, Robert Carpenter OAM, in 2008.

Anntonette Dailey is a chartered engineer and brings more than 15 years senior executive capability, working across multiple Government agencies, not for profit and consultancies.

Anntonette was recently the Executive Director at the Australian Space Agency, having commenced as part of the inaugural leadership team in 2018 and was responsible for managing its operating environment, managing stakeholders and was instrumental in the establishment of the Australian Space Discovery Centre, publishing the first three whole of Government State of Space Reports, the financial controller and management of the public affairs, outreach and parliamentary activity.

Anny has always had a soft spot for the space sector, attending space camps at school, presenting to Parliament on the need for better space coordination. She is also a major supporter for developing the current and future STEM workforce. Her leadership and passion were recognised by AFR as one of Australia’s 100 most Influential Women and as young graduate of the year by the University of Technology, Sydney.

As a mother to Skye (6) and Flynn (1), Anny enjoys caravanning, renovating, rugby union and car racing.

Liam began his career as a speech writer at New South Wales Parliament before working for world leading campaigns and research agencies in Sydney and Auckland. Throughout his career, Liam has managed and executed a range of international media and communications campaigns spanning politics, business, industrial relations and infrastructure. He’s since shifted his attention to researching and writing extensively on geopolitics and defence, specifically in North Africa, the Middle East and Asia. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Sydney and a Master of Strategy and Security from UNSW Canberra, with a thesis on post-truth, postmodernism and disinformation operations.

Michael has over 35 years of experience at the senior levels of space, aviation, corporate finance and general industrial management. An experimental Test Pilot turned successful entrepreneur and business executive as evidenced by roles as the Founder and CEO of the Aerospace Group (later acquired by and renamed Raytheon Australia); Founder, CEO and inaugural Chairman of Regional Express Airlines (REX), and recently as the Chief Strategy and Corporate Development Officer for Virgin Australia. Michael is a graduate of the Royal Military College, he has a Bachelor of Arts/Economics from UNSW, Grad Dip in App Investment from FINSIA, is a distinguished graduate of the Empire Test Pilots’ School UK and was recently made a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society.

Kiriti Rambhatla, the founder of Metakosmos is an emerging technologies & innovation specialist. His work on Innovation was published on Forbes & he has been nominated as a finalist in “Innovator of the year” category at the Australian Space Awards 2023. He is currently the chief architect of Kosmosuit , the next generation commercial spacesuit technology which won the Global Innovation Award at Tech Connect World 2023 in Washington DC, USA.
Prior to founding Metakosmos, he was the Head of Emerging Technologies at LinkedIn (Microsoft group) where he led a team in Asia Pacific that won the Innovation Excellence award for deploying future technologies.  His interest & passion for space made him pursue the idea of building commercially viable spacesuits.
He holds a bachelors in Electrical Engineering & a Masters in Business Administration with specialisations from London Business School & MIT USA. He was a former speaker at the European Commission, Tedx, ANZ Biobridge , CSIRO & Avalon International Airshow to name a few.

Physicist Dr Lyle Roberts is Head of Photonics at Advanced Navigation where his team works at the nexus of photonics, signal processing, and laser interferometry to develop breakthrough technologies for navigation. Lyle joined Advanced Navigation in 2021 after Vai Photonics, the company he co-founded to commercialise his research at The Australian National University, was acquired.

Prior to co- founding Vai Photonics in 2021, Lyle was a research fellow at the ANU’s Centre for Gravitational Astrophysics researching a range of technologies including instrumentation for satellite laser ranging systems such as NASA’s Mass Change (MC) and Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) missions.

Lyle has been involved in Australian space R&D for over a decade, representing Australia at NASA Ames’ Academy for Space Exploration in 2012, and being recognised as an International Astronautical Federation Emerging Space Leader in 2014. Lyle now heads Advanced Navigation’s development of Navigation Doppler LiDAR for lunar exploration.

Dr Smart is a world leader in scramjet design for reusable space launch. He graduated with a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering from The University of Queensland (UQ) in 1985 and completed a PhD at NYU-Poly in 1995. He then spent 10 years as a research scientist in the Hypersonic Airbreathing Propulsion Branch at NASA’s Langley Research Center. He returned to Australia in 2005 and spent 15 years in the UQ Centre for Hypersonics, being appointed Professor and Chair of Hypersonic Propulsion in 2007. In December 2019 he co-founded Hypersonix Launch Systems Ltd. Hypersonix Launch Systems is an Australian start-up that is developing hydrogen fuelled scramjet technology for green access-tospace.

Dr James Bennett joined EOS Space Systems in 2011 and was appointed to the position of Executive Vice President (Acting) in 2022, having previously worked as Vice President, Head of Technology Development and Astrodynamics Group Leader.

Dr Bennett has held academic roles at RMIT and the University of Western Australia and is a former leader of the Space Environment Management Program within the Space Environment Research Centre, a role he carried out in conjunction with his work at EOS.

He was awarded a PhD in applied mathematics from RMIT University in 2008. Dr Bennett is a member of the International Laser Ranging Service Governing Board and Missions Standing Committee and plays an active role in a range of domestic and international space activities, particularly in relation to space domain awareness.

Dr Jordan Plotnek received a PhD in space system security and resilience from the University of South Australia and a Bachelor of Engineering with first class Honours in telecommunications from Swinburne University in Melbourne. Jordan is an Australian Air Force veteran and has served in senior cyber security positions for aerospace, defence, utilities, transportation, and mining organisations in Australasia, Canada, and the Middle East. Jordan is currently a Senior Lecturer in security architecture and operational technology security at the University of South Australia, the Lead Partner for critical infrastructure protection at Anchoram Consulting, and the Space Sector Technical Lead at Critical Infrastructure ISAC. Jordan’s research and professional interests are centred around space security, critical infrastructure resilience, and cyber-physical conflict.

Julie is the head of Space Tech at Cicada Innovations, and is leading the National Space Industry Hub. Supported by the NSW Government, the Space Hub offers a physical space, resources, mentoring, and connections for emerging space ventures and researchers in Australia. In addition, it offers commercialisation training and coaching programs nationally to share essential knowledge for anyone on the path of creating a space tech venture. Julie has a background in Physics Engineering and Space Applications. Prior to joining Cicada Innovations, she has worked for ESA and Airbus.

Professor Lawrence is a proud Wadjak/Ballardong man from the Noongar Nation of the South West of Western Australia. He also identifies with, and has blood ties to, the Pilbara, Gascoyne and Goldfields regions.

Former Dean and Professor of Indigenous Engagement at Curtin University, Professor Lawrence has a strong track record of creating greater opportunities to support Aboriginal students, staff, partners and community members. With exemplary experience, networks and academic performance across research, education and engagement – particularly in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities – Professor Lawrence drives the Faculty of IT's contributions to the broader Monash University Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Framework: 2019 – 2030 and Impact 2030.
Underpinning his work at Monash is a focus on collaborating with Aboriginal communities in Victoria – using technology and innovation to improve their health, wellbeing and education while fostering more ‘tech-smart’ communities through co-design. Working with researchers across the faculty, he engages Indigenous and non-Indigenous students in schools and high schools to nurture the next digital and space explorer workforce of the future.