Careers in space

Sushma Shankar is the CEO and Co Founder of Deep Planet. Deep Planet empowers industries to make sustainable decisions by providing cutting-edge AI solutions that predict and mitigate environmental impact. We deliver actionable insights through advanced data analysis, helping our customers in agriculture and other sectors optimize resource management, enhance productivity, and build resilience. Sushma started Deep Planet at Oxford during her MBA, specifically a project to address Global Water Security. From the programme, Sushma and her co-founders started Deep Planet developed a project that sought to assess and address environmental risk through the use of satellite imagery. Thus, the project subsequently grew into a company with the emergence of investors (particularly the European Space Agency, Innovate UK and corporate VCs) and a growing number of interested parties. Sushma has an MBA from the University of Oxford and a Masters in Computer Engineering from Illinois Tech. Sushma has 15 years of background in engineering, research and development and product management.

Eddie is chief executive officer and a co-founder of Astron Systems. Astron Systems are a UK company working on building the first 100% reusable small lift rockets to enable more affordable, fast, flexible and sustainable launch services for small payloads to and from orbit. Eddie founded Astron Systems, alongside co-founders Kieran and Rafal, in response to wanting to see the same level of ambition as American companies like SpaceX within the UK and Europe, and seeing an opportunity within small lift launch vehicles to take the lead globally. Eddie and team first met when studying Aeronautics with Spacecraft Engineering at Imperial College London and he also was heavily involved with the Imperial Rocketry society from it’s founding in 2018 until graduating.

Dr. Sam Richards is a globally recognised Elite Mission Director with over 20 years of experience leading complex space and hypersonic programmes. A former NASA and ispace Mission Director, he has supported missions from Earth to LEO to the Lunar surface, working with clients across startups, primes, defence, government, investors, and academia. As Director of Meridian Space Command, he specialises in mission support, enabling technologies, and professional education. Known for translating complexity into execution, Dr. Richards is a trusted leader in sovereign space capability and commercial innovation, with a track record spanning the UK, US, Europe, and Asia/Oceania.

Dhara Patel is a Space Expert at the National Space Centre, working to help convey space science, stories, and topical news to a variety of audiences. She graduated with a Masters in Physics from the University of Leeds and began her career as a secondary school science teacher. 

She then spent six years working at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, London in a number of education-based roles. During that time, Dhara presented planetarium shows, workshops, telescope observing sessions and talks at national science festivals. She was also involved in consulting on and writing books, as well as aiding with media (TV, radio, and online article) requests.

In January 2022, she joined the National Space Centre where her role includes organising space events, helping to create digital science content, public speaking, and interviews. She continues to share her excitement and enthusiasm for space to inspire young students, older audiences, and everyone between.

Matthew is Senior Policy Adviser for Emerging Technologies and Futures at the Royal Society. His current focus is on the policy implications of the next 50 years of space exploration, but he has previously considered the regulation and development of neural interface technology and the use of non-pharmaceutical interventions during pandemics. Prior to joining the Society, Matthew managed R&D programmes on animal health and welfare at the UK government's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). His PhD was in the molecular biology of plants.

Leyton is a Policy Adviser on Emerging Technologies at the Royal Society, a Global Fellow at the European Space Policy Institute (ESPI), and a Senior Analyst at AstroAnalytica. He holds a degree in Science and Technology Studies from University College London, where he specialised in science and technology policy and completed his dissertation on innovation governance in the space sector. He began his career at ESPI in Vienna as a Researcher in 2018 before returning to London as an International and Policy Coordinator at the Institute of Physics. He later became a Research Fellow in Space Policy at the leading UK think tank, Policy Exchange – the first such role in Westminster. At the Royal Society, Leyton is currently working on the Society’s ‘Perspective on Space’, looking at governance challenges for emerging space technologies out to 2075.

Dr Mekhi Dhesi is Account Executive at Slingshot Aerospace Ltd. Slingshot Aerospace is a world-leader in commercial space situational awareness (SSA) data and associated insights. Mekhi previously worked for Astroscale Ltd. as their Space-Based SSA Strategy Lead, where she led several UK MOD funded studies into space-based SSA sensing technologies and mission concepts. Mekhi holds a PhD in Theoretical Astrophysics from the University of Southampton, where she researched the gravitational wave emission from colliding black holes, using Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity. Along, with an MSc in Theoretical Physics from Kings College London and a BSc in Physics from University College London. In her spare time Mekhi loves science outreach and STEM engagement activities. 

Joshua Wiggs is a Senior Scientific Software Engineer at the Met Office, working across International Applied Science and Services and Post-Processing Applications. He works to develop scientific models (extending to digital twins), methods and workflows at both weather and climate timescales for customers in government and industry. Additionally, he maintains legacy and operational systems and builds next-generation cloud-based platforms. Prior to the Met Office, Joshua gained a PhD in Physics from Lancaster University, focusing on Planetary Science, where he built a computational model to examine plasma transport in the Jovian and Saturnian magnetospheres. He also holds a Master's in Physics and Astrophysics from Northumbria University, in which he conducted modelling of plasma motions in the solar corona.

Yvonne Pickering is a Senior Guidance, Navigation & Control and Robotics Engineer at Airbus Defence and Space, working on several robotics’ projects including the Mars Sample return mission and the Exomars program. Yvonne also participates in a wide variety of outreach and PR events, including both VIP site visits and large public events (such as Goodwood Festival of Speed). Previously she has worked in digital systems onboard satellites, also at Airbus Defence and Space, specifically in the management and routing of data packets. Prior to this Yvonne completed a BSc in Physics with Astrophysics at Bristol University observing the motion of stars in a binary system.