By decision of the Minister of Digital Governance, Dimitris Papastergiou, the President, the Deputy Chairman, the CEO and the members of the Board of Directors of the Hellenic Space Center (ELEDE) are appointed.

Their term of office is five years. The entire Board of Directors are made up of scientists of recognized prestige with a strong academic background, as stated in a decision by the Ministry of Digital Government. President, Emmanuel Rammos, has many years of experience in research and administrative positions, as he has served for more than three decades in the European Space Agency (ESA).

The composition of the new Board of Directors and the biographies of its members refer to the Ministry’s announcement:

President: Emmanuel Rammos

Dr. Emmanuel Rammos has over 40 years of experience in space technology. He studied physics, telecommunications and electronics in Athens and Paris, acquiring a master’s and doctorate. He began his career in 1978 in Philips, developing microelectronic and satellite television technologies.

He has served 31 years in ESA, holding technical and administrative roles in satellite telecommunications, telecommunications and navigation systems. He participated in studies on Hellas Sat, and coordinated Greek representation in European instruments for Galileo. Following his departure from ESA in 2016, he founded a company that developed an innovative constellation system using commercial aircraft as platforms for scientific instruments. It has 25 patents and has taught satellite technology at top universities.

Deputy President: Kostas Synolakis

Kostas Synolakis is a professor at the University of South California (1985) and the University of Crete (2004), with a study in hydrodynamics, geophysics, oceanography and crisis management. He developed the MOST model for prognosis of tidal waves, used by NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration).

He has published more than 110 scientific papers in top journals (Science, Nature) and has received international awards, such as the Soloviev Award (2014), the Mofatt-Nichol in the field of the US Engineering Company (2015), and the International Award of the Kand Muniser (2019). He has been awarded by the White House as one of the 100 best young scientists in the US (1988). He is the founder of the Tsunami Research Center (1995) that focuses on coastal erosion and the impact of climate change and a full member of the Academy of Athens since 2016.

Managing Director: Nikos Sergis

Dr. Nikos Sergis is a researcher in space physics, with experience in research institutions such as the Academy of Athens, Johns Hopkins University (JHU/APL) and the National Observatory of Athens. He has published 77 scientific papers with 1,700+ hetero-reports and has received awards from NASA (2009, 2018) for his contribution to Cassini-Huygens.

He has experience in the management of research programs and is a proposal evaluator for NASA, the European Commission and National Bodies. He has overseen doctoral theses and collaborates with research institutions in Europe and the US. He is a member of the American Geophysical Union (AGU), the European Union of Geosciences (EGU) and the International Astronomical Union (IAU).

Members:

John Dougles

Ioannis A. Daglis is a professor of space physics at the NCSR and former director of the Institute of Space Applications at the National Observatory of Athens. He has worked in research centers in Europe, USA and Japan and is a full member of the International Astronautic Academy.

He is a national representative of Greece at IAGA (International Association of Geomagnetism and Aeronomy), SciTep (Scientific Committee on Solar-Trestrial Physics) and Ilches (International Living with a Star), and Steering Board Member of the Esa Space We Weather We Weather We Weather. Working Team (Swwt).

He has served as a partner of NASA, ESA and the European Commission and participated in the design of 15 space missions. It is an editor-in-chief of Annales Geophysicae and Editor in Nature-Scientific Reports. His work includes 6 books, 130 scientific publications with 7,500 references (h-index = 44), and has led 32 international and national research programs.

Athena Kouteni

Athena Kousteni is an astrophysicist with a doctorate in astrophysics and space technology (1989) from University 7 in Paris. In 1996 she was awarded the Habilitation DR, the highest academic distinction in France. He specializes in planetology, studying giant planets, exoplanets and space exploration.

He participated in ESA and NASA missions, such as Cassini-Huygens, contributing to the development of three scientific bodies. He has authored 250 scientific papers and the book “Titan: The Investigation of a Similar World to Earth”. He is chairman of the ESA European Space Science Committee, a member of the ESA and NASA International Scientific Councils, and has received significant discrimination for its contribution to space exploration.

Stamatis

Stamatis Krimizis is a leading scientist in space physics. He graduated from the University of Minnesota and received a PhD in Physics from the University of Iowa. He taught at the same university and worked at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, where he was a scientific director.

He participated in NASA flagship missions such as Voyager 1 & 2 and Cassini-Huygens. He has published 630+ scientific work and has designed instruments for all classic planets. He was elected a regular member of the Academy of Athens in 2004, served as a representative of Greece at the ESA and has been honored with international awards. The asteroid 8323 Krimigis bears his name.

Constantine Mavrokordatos

Konstantinos Mavrokordatos has 35 years of experience in space technology and the development of space missions. He holds a master’s degree and a doctorate from Sup’aero in Toulouse (1990). He began his career at Alcatel Space (now Thales) as a radar engineer, contributing to missions from CNES and ESA, while developing an innovative pulsating technique, which was patented.

In 1995 he joined the ESA and took over the development of Cryosat’s (Siral) useful load (2004). He has been a Payload Manager of Sentinel-3 and since 2017, as a project manager of Sentinel-2, led the development of Sentinel-2C satellites and -2D, managing a budget of 400 million euros and a team of up to 20 people.