Our team includes experts in protein biochemistry, biotechnology, microfluidics, nanofabrication, advanced optics, space hardware engineering, software engineering, and space systems engineering
Associate Professor Sarah Kessans
Principal Investigator & Science Lead
University of Canterbury
Sarah has….
Dr Lisa Peacocke
Programme Manager
University of Canterbury
Lisa is a space systems engineer and project manager with 20 years of European and US space sector experience. She has worked at Airbus UK designing planetary exploration missions and spacecraft, returned to academia to gain her PhD in deployable Mars heatshields, then was part of the SpaceX mission management team developing the Artemis lunar lander with NASA. She is now excited to be part of the microgravity research team and the growing kiwi space industry.
Professor Volker Nock
Microfluidics & Nanofabrication Lead
University of Canterbury
Volker is a Professor and Rutherford Discovery Fellow in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, specialising in microfluidics technology and its application to Lab-on-a-Chip devices. He leads the University of Canterbury’s Nanofabrication laboratory, providing polymer device fabrication and characterisation services for academia and industry. His group is involved in pioneering work related to capillaric flow-control and platforms to study tip-growing microorganisms.
David Wright
Hardware Engineering Lead
Asteria Engineering
David is Lead Engineer at the Asteria Engineering Consultancy, specialising in electrical and electromechanical system design for space and other harsh environments.
David and Asteria have been a part of the microgravity research programme since its inception in 2020, leading the hardware development of Crystalis and its predecessor prototypes.
Dave Sanders
Software Engineering Lead
Intranel
With 20+ years designing and executing complex hardware and software solutions, Dave turns ambitious ideas into practical, high-performing systems. As co-founder and MD of a tech company, he’s led projects across many industries – always focused on delivering solutions that work in the real world, and now beyond it! He brings that same mindset to the unique challenges of microgravity and space-based science.
Professor Cather Simpson
Advanced Optics Lead
University of Auckland
Cather has many years of experience working in the field of fundamental photodynamics of molecules. Since 2007, she has been a professor at the University of Auckland, and also founder and director of the Photon Factory laser laboratory. She is Chief Science Officer for two spin-off companies – Engender Technologies and Orbis Diagnostics, and is an Associate Investigator for the Dodd-Walls Centre for Photonic and Quantum Technologies and an Emeritus Investigator for the MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology.
Dr Yiling Sun
Microfluidics & Nanofabrication Postdoc
University of Canterbury
Yiling is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Canterbury. Her research focuses on the design and fabrication of microfluidic and Lab-on-a-Chip devices for advanced biological analysis. She has extensive expertise in microfabrication, MEMS processing, and the development of customised microfluidic platforms to support diverse experimental needs in bioengineering and microbiology.
Dr Freddy Lyzwa
Advanced Optics Postdoc
University of Auckland
Freddy has..
Felix Collins
Software & Hardware Engineer
Intranel
Since 1996, Felix has worked in software, embedded firmware and electronics engineering. He has experience with systems from bare-metal 8bit micros, through FreeRTOS based platforms, mobile phone software, Windows Applications, all the way to Web Applications and server software. On the way Felix has dabbled in mechanical design and worked on research and development for a number of novel products.
Anthony Watson
Hardware Engineer
Asteria Engineering
Anthony has…
Kieran Williams
Hardware Engineer
Asteria Engineering
Kieran is an electrical engineer at Asteria Engineering Consultancy, specialising in electrical and electromechanical design for space systems. Kieran has previously designed electrical and electromechanical systems for satellite propulsion and sounding rockets. He is excited to contribute to the development of the microgravity projects and products.
Sarah Wiki-Bennett
Kaiārahi Rangahau Māori
University of Canterbury
Sarah has….
Sarah Pratt
Project Manager
Asteria Engineering
Sarah is the Business Manager at Asteria Engineering Consultancy. She takes the lead on project managing the engineering team at Asteria, ensuring the engineers have the resources they need when they need them to get the hardware designed, manufactured, and launched. She’s known for her positive attitude, love of organisation, and drinking perhaps a little too much coffee.