Space, Science & Technology

Affiche de l'événement Space, Science & Technology

Poster of the event – technology watermark on space image. Image ©ESA/Euclid/Euclid Consortium/NASA, image processing by J.-C. Cuillandre (CEA Paris-Saclay), G. Anselmi Filigrane sur image.

November 14th, 2024
12:15 pm
Forum Rolex

EPFL has organized this exciting event on the future of the space and astronautics sector in Europe. A way to discover how space exploration can drive public-private partnerships in science and technology. International keynotes from renowned pace icons and round-table discussions brought together experts from industry and research.


Programme

11:45 am Opening doors 

12:15 pm Moderation: Chloé Carrière
EPFL alumni and Science Communicator

Welcome Address: Martin Vetterli
President of EPFL

12:25 pm Introduction (video): Marco Sieber
Astronaut, ESA


ASTRONAUTICS AND THE FUTURE OF EUROPE IN SPACE

12:30 pm Keynote: Daniel Neuenschwander
Director of Human and Robotic Exploration, ESA

12:40 pm Roundtable on the future of crewed space exploration:
Daniel Neuenschwander
Director of Human and Robotic Exploration, ESA
Claude Nicollier
Professor Emeritus & Astronaute, EPFL

01:00 pm Q&A 

 
PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

01:10 pm Keynote: Thomas Zurbuchen
Professor, ETH Zurich

01:20 pm Roundtable on Technology serving science:
Emmanuelle David
Executive Director, Space Center, EPFL
Michel Mayor
Professor Emeritus, University of Geneva
Aude Pugin
CEO, APCO Technologies
Thomas Zurbuchen
Professor, ETH Zurich

01:40 pm Q&A

01:50 pm Space at EPFL, a retrospective

01:55 pm Conclusion: Pierre Dillenbourg
Associate Vice President for Education, EPFL

02:00 pm Aperitif for the public

Speakers

Portrait de Emmanuelle David

Emmanuelle David

Executive Director, Space Center – EPFL

Emmanuelle David is the executive director of eSpace at the EPFL Space Center at the Swiss Institute of Technology (EPFL) in Lausanne. eSpace is an interdisciplinary hub, working with students, academic institutions, international space agencies and industry partners, with an overall mission to promote space related research and education at EPFL. eSpace launched in 2023 the sustainable space hub to foster an interdisciplinary research to measure, understand and act toward space sustainability.

Before joining EPFL in 2020, Emmanuelle has gathered more than 10 years’ experience in space transportation in academia, agency and industry from pre-development projects up to launch operations. She holds aerospace Engineering degrees both from the University of Technology of Compiegne, France, and the Technical University of Braunschweig, Germany.

Portrait de Michel Mayor

Michel Mayor

Astrophysicist
Professor Emeritus – University of Geneva

Born in 1942, Michel Mayor studied physics at the University of Lausanne and obtained a PhD in astrophysics from the University of Geneva in 1971. Following his thesis on the dynamics of spiral galaxies, he and his colleagues at the Geneva and Marseille observatories developed a new type of spectrograph for measuring stellar velocities. Various generations of correlation spectrographs have enabled him to increase the accuracy of velocity measurements to a level where perturbations induced by planetary companions can be detected.  The search for velocity fluctuations in a large sample of stars comparable to our own Sun led to the detection of the first exoplanet (51 Pegasi b) in 1995. Since then, over the past 3 decades, more than 5,000 exoplanets have been discovered, revealing the impressive diversity of exoplanet systems and the complexity of their formation mechanisms.  The discovery of exoplanets has opened a new chapter in astrophysics.  Does life exist elsewhere in the universe?

In 2019, he was jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics with his PhD student D.Queloz.  Prof. Mayor is currently Honorary Professor at the University of Geneva. He is a member of the French Academy of Sciences and the US National Academy of Sciences.

Portrait de Daniel Neuenschwander

Daniel Neuenschwander

Director of Human and Robotic Exploration – ESA

Daniel Neuenschwander is the Director of Human and Robotic Exploration Programmes at the European Space Agency (ESA). Based in Cologne, he leads all Human and Robotic Exploration-related matters, starting with strategy development through programme implementation and benefits evaluation. He is responsible for the Terrae Novae programme, ESA’s space exploration envelope programme, currently focused on three destinations: Low Earth Orbit, the Moon and Mars.

Before his appointment as Director of Human and Robotic Exploration Programmes in 2023, Mr Neuenschwander led ESA’s Directorate of Space Transportation for 7 years. Before joining ESA, Mr Neuenschwander was previously Head of the Swiss Space Office (SSO) and of the Swiss Delegation to ESA, as well as Chair of the Launchers Programme Board (PB-LAU). He also served as Deputy to the Swiss State Secretary for Space Affairs, including for the ESA Co-Presidency at ministerial level. Before joining the space world, he was a professional pilot.

Portrait de Claude Nicollier

Claude Nicollier

Astronaut
Professor Emeritus – EPFL

Claude Nicollier was born in Vevey, Switzerland, in 1944. He became an astrophysicist after studies in physics in Lausanne and astrophysics in Geneva. He also trained as a Swiss Air Force pilot and as an airline pilot. He is a graduate of the Empire Test Pilot’s School, Boscombe Down, United Kingdom, class of 1988. His service with the Swiss Air Force was a part time activity from 1966 to 2004, and he flew on the Venom, Hawker Hunter and F-5E Tiger aircraft types. He was active as a First Officer on the DC-9 aircraft with SWISSAIR from 1974 to 1976.

He was selected in 1978 in the first group of astronauts of the European Space Agency (ESA), then was detached to the NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas, for full training as Mission Specialist on the US Space Shuttle, following an agreement between ESA and NASA. After several years of training and various jobs at JSC, he served as a crewmember on four Shuttle missions between 1992 and 1999, including two on-orbit interventions on the Hubble Space Telescope. During his last mission in December 1999, he performed a spacewalk of more than 8 hours duration to install new equipment on the orbiting observatory. He spent a total of more than 1000 hours in space during these four missions.

He is currently a member of Space Innovation in Lausanne, Switzerland, and honorary Professor at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. He is currently honorary Professor at EPFL.

Portrait de Aude Pugin

Aude Pugin

CEO – APCO Technologies

Aude Pugin is CEO of APCO Technologies SA, an industrial company headquartered in Aigle (Vaud). APCO Technologies operates in various industrial domains, particularly in the European space market, the nuclear energy market in France and the UK, and the shipbuilding sector in the USA.

APCO Technologies is involved in major programs such as the European Ariane 6 launcher, numerous satellite projects for the European Space Agency, and the construction of new generation EPR nuclear power plants.

Aude Pugin holds a master’s degree in law from the University of Fribourg and is a licensed attorney admitted to the Geneva bar. She then worked about ten years as legal counsel for various companies in the fields of aviation, real estate and construction sectors.

Aude Pugin joined APCO Technologies in 2009, representing the second generation of the family business, becoming CEO in 2017. She is also Vice-President of the Federal Commission for Space Affairs, a member of the Board of Directors of Innosuisse and a member of the Advisory Board of the Vaud Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Portrait de Martin Vetterli

Martin Vetterli

President of EPFL

Martin Vetterli, a researcher and teacher, has served as the president of École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) since 2017.

Prof. Vetterli was born in Solothurn, Switzerland, on 4 October 1957 and attended primary and secondary school in the canton of Neuchâtel. He completed an electrical engineering degree at ETH Zurich in 1981, a Master’s degree at Stanford University in 1982, and his PhD at EPFL in 1986.

His next stop was Columbia University, where he taught as an assistant and then associate professor. He was appointed as a full professor at the University of California, Berkeley, in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Two years later, Prof. Vetterli returned to EPFL as a full professor. He also taught at ETH Zurich and Stanford University.

In his research, Prof. Vetterli focuses on electrical engineering, computer science and applied mathematics. His work has earned him numerous national and international awards, including the Swiss National Latsis Prize in 1996. He received honorary doctorate degrees in 2021 from the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm and from the University of Bordeaux.

Prof. Vetterli has published more than 170 journal articles and is a co-author of three reference works. He is also behind some fifty patents, which have led to several startups being spin-off from his laboratory, such as Dartfish, Illusonic and Artmyn, and to technology transfers through patent sales, for instance to Qualcomm and Rambus.

Alongside all these activities, he continues to run the AudioVisual Communications Laboratory at EPFL.

Portrait de Thomas Zurbuchen

Thomas Zurbuchen

Professor – ETH Zurich

Thomas Zurbuchen is currently working as the Head of ETH Zürich | Space and as a speaker, consultant and board member. He was the longest continually running Head of Science at NASA from 2016 to 2022 responsible for 130 missions with 37 launches including JWST, Parker and Perseverance. Previously, he was a Professor for Space Science and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Michigan. Also, founder of the largest Entrepreneurship program at American Universities – the Michigan Center for Entrepreneurship. He received many awards and recognitions, including membership of the International Academy of Astronautics.

Moderator

Portrait - Chloé Carrière

Chloé Carrière

Science Communicator
EPFL alumna

Chloé Carrière is an aerospace engineer and science communicator who wishes to bridge the gap between science and society. Not afraid to challenge status quo, she acts as a role model for the next generation and want to modernize the way we communicate about science.

With an engineering degree in Management of Technology and Entrepreneurship from EPFL, she is the founder of the company Galactic Studios, building a better world through science communication, education, and positive influence, linked to current societal challenges.

As a science influencer, she hosts, under the name “Galactic Chloé”, her own YouTube channel and inspire the public through interactive presentations on social networks. After being honored by the International Astronautical Federation and the European Space Agency and winning the title of “NextGen Hero”, she, one day, dreams to become a Moon-walker.