AN INTRODUCTION TO THE EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY’S OPERATION

Title: An introduction to the European Space Agency’s Operation and Activities and Potential Opportunities for Research Organizations from Cyprus

In this talk we will:

• Provide a brief introduction to the European Space Agency, focusing on the organisation’s mission, structure and main areas of operation.  
• Discuss potential opportunities of interaction with Cyprus Research Organizations under the current status of Cyprus as an ESA Associated State
• Discuss the concept of utilisation of Space Systems in areas that might be of interest to CYENS Researchers (e.g. Smart Cities,Smart Structures, Digital Twins, Green Processes, Safety & Security)
• Introduce potential opportunities for engagement with ESA open to young University graduates (ESA young GratuteTrainees or Research Fellows).

Short Biography: Michael Hadjitheodosiou

Dr. Michael Hadjitheodosiou has an M.A. in Engineering from the University of Cambridge, an M.S. from the University of California and a Ph.D. from the University of Surrey, UK. He is an expert on satellite and space networks and has worked for several years supporting NASA, ESA, EC and industry activities in space communications and space exploration. He is currently leading R&D activities in Future Telecom Projects of the European Space Agency and is the lead System Engineer for the GOVSATCOM and Secure Communications group of activities.

Among his awards are: a full scholarship for studies at the University of Cambridge from the Cambridge Commonwealth Trust , a Fulbright Scholarship for post-graduate work in the United States (CASP Program), a Research Fellowship from the U.K. Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council(EPSRC) and the Canadian National Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) post-doctoral fellowship award.

He has worked for several years in networking issues for satellite networks, developed performance evaluation methods for satellite constellations, multiple access schemes for satellite networks and designs for satellite gateways. Research interests include multimedia traffic modeling, service integration for wireless and hybrid networks, end-to-end performance optimization of satellite and mobile networks, protocol support over satellite channels, and design optimization of next generation broadband satellite systems. He has published more than 150 papers on these topics in a variety of journals and conference proceedings.