Meet this edition's speakers!

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Nereida Agüera López

Monday
19/02
11:00

AWS in Aerospace: To the Stars... through the Cloud!

Nereida Agüera is a solutions architect in the Aerospace and Satellite team at Amazon Web Services (AWS). She helps aerospace customers leverage cloud technologies to build scalable solutions for earth observation, satellite communications, and geospatial intelligence applications. Nereida holds a Master in Aerospace engineering and prior to joining AWS, she worked as a space systems engineer and IT product manager in the aerospace sector.

Satellites

Space Systems

Carolina Caffi Rodrigues

Monday
19/02
14:00

New Space Portugal – Acelerar a Indústria Espacial Portuguesa

Carolina Caffi Rodrigues, Program Manager at New Space Portugal, has a degree in Civil Engineering from the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto, an Executive Master's in International Business from Porto Business School and an intensive course in Sustainable Business from the Mathias Corvinus Collegium in Hungary. He began his professional career in telecommunications, where he managed several mobile network projects with Ericsson. He joined CEiiA as Operational Manager in the Software Development area and later coordinated the management team of the Ocean & Space Unit. He currently plays a key role in New Space Portugal, contributing significantly to the daily success of that project.

Industry

Space

Alex dos Santos

Monday
19/02
16:00

Fighting against the time

Alex dos Santos, an aerospace engineering graduate from the Instituto Superio Técnico, is currently an engineer at the Moneygram Haas F1 Team. He works in aerodynamics as a designer and thermal engineer. Based in Maranello, his focus is on wind tunnel development, as well as supporting the race team during races and tests. He previously worked as a Junior R&D Composite and Structures Engineer at Scuderia Toro Rosso and is also the co-founder of Primis Race Engineering Solutions, offering race engineering services in the world of SimRacing.

Racing

Bruno Grácio

Tuesday
20/02
11:00

From Lisbon to Seattle: my career in Aerospace R&D

Bruno J. Correia Grácio is an Associate Technical Fellow at the Boeing Company, specializing in Systems Engineering and Analysis. With a strong background in research and development, Bruno has been instrumental in driving innovation and advancing technologies in the areas of digital engineering, systems engineering, safety, and human factors. Prior to joining Boeing Research & Technology Europe in 2014, Bruno held engineering positions at Altran BV, TNO, and TUDelft, where his work primarily focused on human factors and modeling & simulation. His expertise and contributions have been recognized internationally, as evidenced by his speaking engagements at various prestigious conferences and his numerous publications in industry conference papers and journals. Bruno is also the holder of several patents, further demonstrating his innovative thinking and problem-solving abilities. Bruno's academic achievements include earning an MSc in Motion-Based Simulation from Delft University of Technology in 2009 and a PhD in the same field from the same institution in 2013. He also holds an Engineering degree in Avionics from the Instituto Superior Técnico in Lisbon, Portugal. Outside of his professional pursuits, Bruno enjoys spending quality time with his family, exploring new destinations and cultures through travel. He is also an avid padel player, finding joy and relaxation on the court.

Aeronautics

Maintenance

Regulation

Tuesday
20/02
14:00

Aviação comercial: Os desafios do Futuro

José Correia Guedes, João Roque Santos

José Correia Guedes was a TAP pilot for 37 years. He was qualified on Boeing, Lockheed and Airbus aircraft. He is currently the author of books on aviation and a lecturer. Since 2023, he has been a member of the Advisory Board of the Platform for the Promotion of Low Carbon Fuels. João Roque, Airline Transport Pilot, has worked as an Air Traffic Controller in FAP, as an Instructor (TRI) in the Airbus A320 fleet and in the Ganhar Asas Program at TAP. He also co-founded the Clube de Jovens Os Aerocalminhas de Tomar and the Lusofly Group. He is a founding partner of the LUSOFLY Academy, where he is Head of Training and a flight and theory instructor.

Portugal

Avionics

Future

Ana Raposo

Wednesday
21/02
11:00

ESA’s Business Applications Programme and Career Path

Ana Raposo has spent over a decade in commercial and technical roles across the public and private space sectors. She currently works as Space Applications Engineer at the European Space Agency (ESA) where she supports and promotes the development of commercial services and applications leveraging space assets such as satellite communications, Earth observation and satellite navigation. Ana is responsible for establishing and developing partnerships with relevant non-space stakeholders, with a focus on the financial sector and sustainable development initiatives. Ana holds a MSc in Aerospace Engineering from Instituto Superior Técnico and a MSc in Engineering Business Management from Warwick University.

Industry

Space

Alberto Sánchez

Wednesday
21/02
14:00

Beyond Gravity, the supplier of choice for launcher space structures

Dr. Alberto Sanchez Cebrian is the Director of Engineering of the launcher's division at Beyond Gravity. He was born in Barcelona, having studied Industrial Engineering at the Polytechnic University of Catalunya. Over the last years, Alberto gained a vast experience in the field of composite materials, where he holds a PhD in aerospace engineering from ETH Zurich. He also holds an MBA and a Master in Innovation Management. Passionate about technology, Alberto has worked over the last 7 years at Beyond Gravity, where he has developed his career from Project manager Innovation, to R&D manager and now Director of engineering. He has also worked before in the Australian company ACS where he was a composites project engineer and ThyssenKrupp Presta AG as development engineer where he gained a multidisciplinary engineering overview from different industries and technologies. On the personal side, Alberto is passionate about sports and enjoys traveling around the Globe.

Industry

Space

João Lousada

Thursday
22/02
11:00

O caminho para Marte

João Lousada is Flight Director of Columbus, the European module of the International Space Station (ISS), and is responsible for the planning and operations of the module, as well as the safety of the astronauts on board. He was responsible for several missions on the ISS, such as the 'Alpha', 'Minerva' and most recently the 'Muninn' mission. João is also an analog astronaut and commander of Mars analog missions for the Austrian Space Forum (OeWF). The most recent of these missions took place in Israel, in the Negev desert, where he spent four weeks isolated in the desert with a small team simulating a future mission to Mars. He graduated from Instituto Superior Técnico, in Portugal, with a Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering which included studies at the Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya, in Spain, and the University of Victoria, in Canada.

Space

Paulo Chaves

Thursday
22/02
14:00

Do IXV ao Space Rider

Paulo Chaves has around 20 years' experience in the aerospace industry in multiple dimensions. In the field of technology development project management, operations at the European Spaceport, development of new digital services with a strong Earth Observation technology component and head of ISQ's Special Testing Laboratory. He was President of the Portuguese Aeronautical Industry Association (PEMAS) and co-founder of the AED Industrial Association, where he sat on the Board of Directors for several years and was one of the coordinators of the Space sector. He was also National Delegate to the European Commission's H2020 Space Program Committee. He has a degree in Mechanical Engineering, an MBA from Sciences Po, a GMP from AESE and graduated from Singularity University's Executive Program.

Aeronautics

Future

Space

Pedro Castro

Thursday
22/02
16:00

Mobilidade aérea em 2050: Odisseia no espaço

With over 25 years' experience in the aeronautics sector, Pedro Castro has worked for airlines, airports and tourism companies. His experience covers areas such as business development, contracting, revenue optimization, networking, alliances, sales strategy, distribution and loyalty. Pedro Castro is an alumnus of the University of Lisbon and the Université Robert Schumann, where he obtained his law degree. He also shares his knowledge by teaching the Transport Systems in Tourism Management course at ISCE. Having lived in different countries for 18 years, he speaks six languages fluently. In addition to his professional commitments, Pedro Castro is also a columnist, contributing opinion articles on airports, airlines and tourism to a diverse range of newspapers, magazines, television and radio channels, at regional, national and international level.

Aeronautics

Future

Teresa Ferreira

Friday
23/02
11:00

Navegação por Satélite: que futuro?

She holds a double master's degree in Telecommunications from Instituto Superior Técnico and is currently GMV's Director of Satellite Navigation in Portugal, leading one of the largest national teams working in the space sector. GMV is the world's first supplier of satellite control centers and a pioneer in the development of GNSS systems.

Space

Space Policy

Future

Pedro Matos

Friday
23/02
14:00

O céu é o limite e somos nós que o controlamos

Pedro Matos has a degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Masters in Geo-Resources from IST. He has been an Air Traffic Controller (CTA) since 1998, having worked at the Santa Maria ACC, at the Lisbon Tower, and at the Lisbon ACC. Since March 2018, he has been Head of Technical and Operational Training at NAV Portugal, being also a Theoretical and Practical Instructor, although he remains an active Air Traffic Controller. His favourite hobby is flying, and he also has a private pilot licence.

Aeronautics

Future

Get to know experiences from former students through Alumni Talks!

João Canas

Tuesday
20/02
16:00

Aerospace Engineer since 2019. He graduated from Instituto Superior Técnico, specializing in control and systems. Since then, he has worked at NASA, Uavision and now works at Spin.Works in hardware testing and integration. In his spare time he can be found swimming, cycling or running all over the place.

Tiago Bento

Tuesday
20/02
16:00

I started my aerospace engineering degree in 2013. After completing my degree and in parallel with the aircraft master's degree, I obtained my private pilot's license (PPL). In 2018, after completing my thesis, I was invited to work at the technician as a researcher and did so for a year while also starting my commercial pilot's license (ATPL). At the end of 2019, I started working at NAV as a pilot in a simulator environment. I finished my ATPL in the middle of the pandemic, which led me to rethink my career and apply to become an air traffic controller at NAV. In 2021 I started my initial training as a controller and in 2023 I was assigned to the control tower at Lisbon airport, where I am today.

Inês Miguel

Tuesday
20/02
16:00

Inês joined Técnico in 2016, on the Integrated Master's Degree in Aerospace Engineering, having also spent a semester in Brazil. She joined AeroTéc in 2017, having participated in RED, SA 2019 and on the Nucleus board for 2 years. While finishing his thesis, he began a professional internship at Deimos Engenharia in the area of project management. After the internship, he took on the role of Junior Project Manager, which he still holds.

Gabriela Gomes

Tuesday
20/02
16:00

Gabriela entered the Aerospace Engineering course in 2016, having opted for the Aircraft - Aerodynamics and Propulsion branch in her master's degree, with a thesis on the aerothermodynamics of hypersonic re-entries. He finished his degree in 2022, having done a semester of mobility in Buenos Aires in 2019. Throughout her degree, she was part of AeroTéc, as co-coordinator of the Aerospace Magazine, a member of the Aerospace Week team and also on the board of the Center. She started working in June 2023, in a leading company in the aeronautical industry, as Retrofit Manager, working in Lisbon. The process of joining this company began at the 2023 edition of Aerospace Week.

João Franco

Wednesday
21/02
16:00

João Franco, 26, graduated in Aerospace Engineering with a Minor in Avionics from Instituto Superior Técnico. Having worked as a consultant at the Colab +Atlantic Collaborative Laboratory where he carried out research in the area of Guidance, Navigation and Control of autonomous space vehicles, he is now a Fleet Engineer in Maintenance & Engineering at TAP Air Portugal where he is part of one of the teams responsible for ensuring the airworthiness of the Portuguese airline's widebody fleet.

Inês d'Ávila

Wednesday
21/02
16:00

With a Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering (Instituto Superior Técnico, 2019), her passion for the space and aeronautical worlds led her to take part in various competitions during her academic career. Motivated by the various volunteer activities she has carried out, she has always enjoyed helping others and hopes to continue doing so in the future. Enjoying challenges and seeing new projects grow, she embraced the founding and leadership of Técnico's Aerospace Engineering Student Group - AeroTéc, chairing the initiative during its first two years of activity and participating in a wide variety of projects. Inês has always lived with her head turned to the stars, but now with her feet firmly planted on Earth, she is responsible for the Safety and Space Transportation areas at the Portuguese Space Agency, hoping to help it reach as high as her dreams.

Beatriz Macedo

Wednesday
21/02
16:00

Since childhood, Beatriz has shown diverse interests and a natural ability to develop skills in different areas. Her fascination with the world of aviation arose somewhat from the complexity of the industry and is driven by the adrenaline of the challenges she faces daily in her work.She currently holds the position of Airworthiness Engineer at Portugália Airlines - TAP Express, where she plays the role of Reliability Engineer. At the same time, she also works as a TechRep on heavy maintenance outside Portugal. In these roles, she has the opportunity to combine various skills, from project management to people management, as well as the challenges of engineering. Beatriz believes that at Portugália Airlines she will become a more versatile professional, whose commitment to excellence and relentless pursuit of challenges will play a crucial role in her career.

André Roque

Wednesday
21/02
16:00

Born in Braga in 2001, from a very young age, André has nurtured a relentless passion for space, the stars, and everything around them. Joining the bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering at Técnico in 2018, he has since then been a member of AeroTéc, in the projects WS Rockets and RED, where he led the Structures and Recovery team. Taking his master's degree at ISAE-SUPAERO in Toulouse, France, he carried out an internship at GMV's GNC/AOCS team; and taught the subject 'Flight Control' at Técnico concurrently with his specializations in Control and Space Systems. As a member of Thales Alenia Space's Mission Analysis/AOCS division in Cannes, his main focus has been on optimizing the orbital re-entry of satellites onto the Earth's surface, which was also the subject of his thesis.