Innovation Lead, Exploration and Science Thales Alenia Space Italia
He graduated in Nuclear Engineering from the Polytechnic of Turin in 1987, and then obtained a Master of Science in Environmental Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley in 1993, where he worked as a researcher in the field of indoor air quality.
He has worked for more than 30 years at Thales Alenia Space in Turin, in the sector of human and robotic exploration of space and planets, dealing with the space environment and life support systems, and covering a wide range of technical and management roles. He was a protagonist in the creation of inhabited systems and experiments at the International Space Station, of scientific satellites and in the space exploration of the Moon and Mars.
Today he holds the role of Senior Expert in “Life Support and Habitability”, promoting new sustainability and regenerative life support initiatives for long-duration exploration missions. He teaches at the SEEDS Master on Space Exploration and is the author of more than 70 articles and book chapters.
As Head of Innovation within the Innovation Cluster, he animates and trains teams of innovators through events, hackathons, creativity sessions, incubation of innovative ideas, Open Innovation and business initiatives with start-ups.