James Richards FIMechE

James is a chartered mechanical engineer with experience across a number of industries, in particular nuclear and railway. James has held positions across professions also, including engineering, project management, learning & development and strategic workforce planning. More recently, James has focused on early engagement and is committed to engaging young people in STEM related activity so that they might choose to follow careers in engineering.

Barry M Cook   BSc, PhD, CEng, MBCS, CITP, MIEEE, FBIS

After a successful life as an academic in London, Surrey and Keele Universities, Barry left his position as Senior Lecturer to join the Space industry. He has spent 20-years developing standards, designing ground-based test equipment used by major Space agencies (NASA, ESA, JAXA, ROSCOSMOS) and Space industries around the world. He also creates solutions for spacecraft such as the "Flying Laptop" satellite currently in orbit and the European Space Agency's forthcoming PLATO project.

Mikail Shaikh

After completing a Biology degree and a Masters in Biomedicine Mikail trained to be a teacher whilst taking additional modules in Chemistry and Physics in order to teach all three sciences to all ages including college. He has since taught these subjects in schools since 2013. He is the STEM coordinator at his current school. More recently he has developed an interest in learning languages which he feels are a necessary asset for the international venture that modern science and technological development has become.

Alasdair Swenson

Alasdair is lecturer In immersive technology development at Manchester Metropolitan University. He works within the Operations, Technology, Events and Hospitality management department, within the Faculty of Business and Law. His passion is for the new potential that developments in emerging technologies offer particularly how we might maximise the benefit to society by utilising immersive augmented and virtual reality systems. Research interests and areas of development include immersive technology for education, training and enhancing experiences for events spaces and institutions. Alasdair has developed bespoke experiences for a range of museums, festivals and events, utilising hardware and software to create interactive and immersive public facing installations.

Sam Juson

Sam is I'm currently studying an MSc in Astronautics and Space Engineering at Cranfield University after obtaining a first-class BEng Aerospace Engineering with Pilot Studies degree. He is Co-President at CranSEDS, an Orbital Engineer with Asteria: Space & Satellites, and recent SPIN intern at Smallspark Space Systems in association with the UK Space Agency. His main areas of research are within mission analysis, orbital dynamics and space propulsion. He is also very passionate about advocating STEM outreach and engagement, and sharing his experiences through organisations like 4WardFutures.

Alina Vizireanu 

As a Geographer, by definition Alina cares about the Environment. But she is one of those who knew since very little, that working on a niche side of Geography will be part of her future career, only that not always one listens to the heart. After studying Languages, History, Psychology and Philosophy, Alina took a deep step to do what she was prepared for, and studied Physical Geography, completing a Masters’ degree in Geomorphology, Cartography and GIS at the University of Bucharest, Romania. Just 6 months into her undergrad studies a part-time job opportunity in GIS Analysis enabled her to fall in love with this new, emerging science, and since then she never stopped working in the Geospatial industry.

 Alina is currently working as part of the IT Service Delivery team at Affinity Water UK, technically supporting GIS, Leakage, Laboratory and Assets management systems.

She has put on the entrepreneurial hat, founding AVINTERRA Consulting, to create a legal framework for her collaborative work on non-financial management and geospatial services.

She is an active volunteer with Space Generation Advisory Council as a Membership Manager, an Executive Board and Steering Committee member of Women in Geospatial+ soon to-be an UK charity, with over 2200 members globally, and Editor at British Cartographic Society.

Alina supports the work of  4wardFutures through taking part in interactive webinars and leads  on the development of the Space Technology Applications on Earth GIS Project.

Shirley Harrison - Former Trustee

Shirley is a chartered mechanical engineer who has a broad engineering and manufacturing background with wide-ranging experience of management and operations in large and small industrial businesses.

Shirley helps companies make sense of emerging technologies and works with an extensive and ever-growing network of small and large businesses, including start-ups and early-stage businesses as well as established firms.

Recognised for her common-sense and practical approach, she helps companies build the capacity to innovate. Specifically, she creates mechanisms to help companies collaborate with each other as well as with research organisations and academia, designs and delivers bespoke programmes to meet specific business requirements and works directly with larger companies on supply chain programmes.

Shirley is currently focused on understanding and overcoming the barriers to technology adoption in small companies, structures to enable collaborative innovation in SMEs and gender balance and diversity in manufacturing.

Swarnajyoti Mukherjee

Swarnajyoti is a space engineer, a part-time Chef at home, Multilingual (~6), traveller (26 years, 26 countries), young entrepreneur.

Swarnajyoti comes from India and is currently working in Italy.

Previously, he has completed his bachelor’s degree (B.Tech., B.Eng., C.Eng. (partially)) in aerospace engineering from India & China. He then completed his MSc. from Politecnico di Milano, Italy.

Swarnajyoti has worked with European Space Agency’s projects on satellite constellation design & development, mission planning, system design, inter-satellite optical laser communication, health monitoring with computer vision technology including AI & earth observation data management.

Through his work with the Space generation Advisory Council, Swarnajyoti is trying to share his knowledge and creating awareness on space technology for future generations.

Swarnajyoti supports the work of  4wardFutures through taking part in interactive webinars and on the development of the Space Technology Applications on Earth GIS Project.

Margaret Winstanley

Margaret  has a career spanning over 40+ years which includes: 14 years in Computers from Punch Operator to Computer Manager, 14 years in the recruitment industry from Recruitment Consultant to Management Consultant on behalf of large-scale national employers, including selecting /managing PSL’s and recruitment agencies on their behalf.  

Currently part of the Bridgewater High Careers Team, which is a Cheshire based Secondary School, with currently over 1500 students and further expansion plans.

Arno den Toom

 Arno is a lead adviser on our CALOM and Grow a Lunch on Mars projects. Arno has extensive experience in biotechnology, space biology, quality management, project/programme management, bioengineering, micro-, partial-, and hyper gravity research.

Luke Monks

Luke is a St Andrews philosophy graduate currently working as an online tutor. He is passionate about philosophy, specifically about teaching young peoples' philosophical content that’s unique, fun, and engaging. He is keen to find ways to expand their perspectives, to get them to think about things they might never have thought about before!

Luke volunteers for 4wardFutures as a designer and developer of our Constructing a sustainable society on mars (CASSOM) project. His role is to explore the value systems we might want to adopt to allow us to survive and thrive in the long term on Mars.

During the online workshops with students, he will stimulate discussion about the types of ethical dilemmas humans traveling to Mars might face and what values that might help them best tackle them.

Dr Chris Gaffney BSc (Hons.) MSc PhD FHEA
Director of Admissions Sports & Exercise Science, Lecturer in Integrative Physiology

Chris is a Lecturer in Integrative Physiology at Lancaster University. He has conducted research with both the Russian Space Agency and NASA. In 2018, he was a researcher on the first UK-led experiment onboard the International Space Station. His portfolio of research currently includes investigations into muscle loss in space, preparation of patients for cancer surgery, and strategies to improve surgeon health.

Tanya Shaban

Tanya is an Aerospace Engineering student from the University of Manchester who is driven to a career in engineering by her desire to bring creative and technical skills together in order to solve problems. Whether it is an item of clothing or a nano-satellite deployer, design is where Tanya's talents lie. She is currently undertaking a year in industry as a nuclear engineer before she returns to complete her degree and strives to encourage young people with diverse backgrounds and talents to consider STEM careers while demonstrating the importance of creativity in technical roles.

Tanya supports the work of 4wardFutures through taking part in interactive webinars and advises on the development of the Constructing a Life on Mars project. Tanya is also leading on the development of the 4wardFutures Young Ambassadors Programme.

Thomas Ormston 

Thomas is a Spacecraft Operations Engineer at the European Space Agency’s European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt, Germany. He graduated in 2005 from the University of Birmingham with an MSci Physics and Space Research. From there he joined the Mars Express Flight Control Team at ESOC as a Young Graduate Trainee, proceeding afterwards to a full time job on the mission for the next 7 years. 

Since 2012, Thomas has worked preparing, launching and operating Earth Observation missions for ESA, including CryoSat-2, EarthCARE, Sentinel-2 and SEOSAT. Most recently Thomas has joined the Sentinel-1 mission – the radar eyes of the Copernicus programme - as Deputy Spacecraft Operations Manager.

Thomas supports the work of  4wardFutures through taking part in interactive webinars and advises on the development of the Space Technology Applications on Earth Project.

Rob MacKenzie - Former Trustee

Rob retired as Operational Director of Policy and Performance at Halton Borough Council in 2011 after a long and varied career in local government which included senior posts in Planning and in Regeneration. He now works one day a week for Crewe Town Council and is Chair of the Trustee Board at Citizens Advice Halton.

Steve Salmon

Steve is an artist who has always been fascinated by Space from a very early age. Steve joined the British Interplanetary Society (BIS) www.bis-space.com  aged 19 and is now a fellow of the society.

Steve began his career in retail, working in department stores, and finally, at Top Man men’s fashion. He then pursued a career in computing with the Wimpey construction group where I remained for 10 years.

In 1990, he attended art college in Wandsworth where he attained a Ceramic Diploma. He then proceeded to Camberwell College of Art and graduated in Fine Art Ceramics in 2001.

Having made many space-themed ceramic pieces since then, Steve is now working with a wider range of  mixed-media to create space themed work.

Steve supports the work of 4wardFutures through taking part in interactive webinars and working with the 4wardFutures team on the development of the Visualising a Life on Mars project.

Colleen Deane

Colleen is a Medical Research Council research fellow based at the University of Exeter. She is part of Molecular Muscle Experiment research team, which conducted the first UK-led experiment onboard the International Space Station in 2018. Colleen is also preparing for the second Molecular Muscle Experiment (MME2), which is due for launch to the International Space Station in May 2021. 

Colleen is particularly interested in understanding the mechanisms regulating skeletal muscle in the context of exercise, inactivity, spaceflight and nutrition. 

Colleen supports the work of 4wardFutures through taking part in interactive webinars.

Erik Rodriguez Vazquez

Erik is an international awarded industrial, product, technology and innovation designer. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and one of the directors of the Society of Spanish Researchers in the United Kingdom.

Erik is the founder of The Last Puzzle Piece Ltd, an Innovation consultancy that combines creative, technical and user experience expertise to deliver world changing products and services for medical, consumer and industrial clients.

Erik holds a degree in Aerospace and Aeronautical Engineering by the University of León (ULE) since 2010. After his studies, he joined an international award winning aerospace company named GesNaer Consulting, developing new concepts for the industry,.

As an innovator, he decided to step into the design and development of medical devices, receiving an award from The Council and The City and Guilds of London Institute for his collaboration with Midatech, previously known as Q-Chip.

Before founding The Last Puzzle Piece, Erik joined Zeal Innovation in 2014 to work on the research, design and development of new products and technologies, receiving international acknowledgements such as winning the “Red Dot Design Award” and “K-Design” Industrial Design award.

In addition to his professional work, Erik is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and is one of the directors of the Society of Spanish Researchers in the United Kingdom. Part of his personal development is to inspire new generations to be interested in sustainable approaches to design and technology.

Erik supports the work of 4wardFutures through taking part in interactive webinars and working with the 4wardFutures team on the development of the Society 5.0 project.