The Science Innovation Union (SIU) and the Oxford University Aeronautical Society (AerOx) are proud to introduce the Inaugural Space Panel. The event features speeches from eminent individuals in the field of aerospace including the Director-General of the (ESA) European Space Agency Professor Johann-Wörner, entrepreneur and youngest aerospace executive Katerina Lengold & Chief-Executive of the UK Space Agency (UKSA) Dr. Graham Turnock. These will be followed by a panel discussion on ‘Generating Impact with the General Public’ – a topic looking at how the aerospace industry can boost its influence by inspiring more academics and students to choose a career in the aerospace industry and to empower innovation by encouraging translation of aerospace-specific science into real-world solutions.
The event will be co-hosted by the AerOx – whose aim is to promote and develop knowledge surrounding aerospace and aviation through both practical activities (such as balloon launches or aerodynamic design competitions) and high-profile speaker events at the university.
* Detailed Speaker Introduction:
Johann-Dietrich Wörner is the current ESA (European Space Agency) Director General. He previously served as head of the German delegation to ESA from 2007 to 2015 and served as Chairman of the ESA Council from 2012 to 2014. He also served as Chairman of the Executive Board of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and as a professor of Civil Engineering, Dean of the Faculty and President at TU Darmstadt. Jan Wörner has received honorary doctorates from New York State University at Buffalo (USA), technical universities of Bucharest (Romania) and Mongolia, the Saint Petersburg University for Economics and Finance (Russia) and École Centrale de Lyon (France). He has received the Federal Cross of Merit (Officer’s cross, 1st class) of the Federal Republic of Germany for his continuous efforts regarding the next generation of scientists and Germany as a location for Science, Technology and Engineering. He has furthermore been awarded the honours of Knight of the French Légion d’Honneur.
Katerina Lengold is an entrepreneur, a space enthusiast and the youngest executive in the aerospace industry. At the age of 20, whilst studying business at MIT, she founded ImageAiry — the world’s first marketplace for satellite data. The company became the finalist of MIT 100K competition, raised venture funding, and was acquired by California-based aerospace company Astro Digital. Katerina served as a Vice President at Astro Digital where she worked with strategic customers, non-commercial partners like United Nations and WWF, participated in international conferences and contributed to the development of the industry as a member of PanGeo alliance. Katerina was listed among Top-100 Russian Innovators in 2014, and was named the “Leader of Tomorrow” by St Gallen Symposium (Switzerland) and Top-20 “Young and Promising” leaders in 2017.
Graham Turnock has been CEO at the UK Space Agency, an Executive Agency of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) since March 2017. Prior to this he led the Better Regulation Executive, a unit within BEIS. He holds a PhD in Particle Physics from Cambridge University for theoretical work at CERN. Graham also holds a diploma in public administration from the École Nationale d’Administration (ENA). He has extensive experience across Whitehall and at a European level – a key priority for the Agency’s head. He has worked in the European Commission and held several other posts in the UK Civil Service with a strong European element, including the Treasury’s lead on the EU budget. Previously he has been the BEIS representative on the Met Office board while outside of work he is a trustee of the Youth Hostels Association and a keen cyclist.
