Trainer’s name: Dr. Matthias Dieckmann

Trainer’s position: Nominated integrated support for ESA’s Space Radiation Research Programme for the Deep Space Gateway within ESTEC’s technology directorate

Trainer’s email and phone number:matthias.dieckmann(at)esa.int; Telephone: 0031-71-565 4601

Dr. Matthias Dieckmann graduated with a diploma in crystallography form the University Hamburg in 1988, after his three years of work at the Philips Research Lab in Hamburg on garnet lattice constant adjustments, appropriate for bubble memory substrates. His High Temperature Superconductor (HTC: Y₁Ba₂Cu₃O_6.8) related substrate development for thin films, with dedicated skull melting/crucible free processing methods, lead to the diploma for producing HTC-substrates, titled: “Phase compositions in the system Gadolinium-Alkaline-Earth-Manganese-Oxides, as function of the oxygen contend in the growth atmosphere and the calcium concentration in the melt”. After orientating studies with DNA-intercalating molecules, as doxorubicin at the University Hamburg and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory, he started his doctorate work and completed it in 1994 with the dissertation: “Light scattering examination during the crystallisation of lysozyme and on dedicated dynamic systems”. His application as a young graduate trainee for ESA, lead immediately to the recruitment as “post of physics” in ESTEC’s technology directorate, during which he supported various space flight projects for Spacelab, Spacehab and the International Space Station. Now he supports the directorate of Human and Robotic Exploration Programmes as nominated integrated support within ESTEC’s technology directorate. He has initiated and project managed the European Crew Personal Active Dosimeter (EuCPAD), also known as ESA Active Dosimeter (EAD), which is ESA-patented and has flown on a short duration mission with A. Mogensen in 2015, and 2016 to 2017 on the ISS, during which more than 20 different position at the ISS were compared in exposure terms for the first time. The EAD forms a gold standard and will fly on Artemis 1 and on the Power Propulsion Element of the Gateway as part of the ESA’s Radiation Space Array (ERSA) as composed by Matthias. ESA astronaut rad-detectors on Artemis 

Trainer's name: Prof. Dr. Marco Durante

Tainer's position: Director, Biophysics Department, GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung
Professor of Physics, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Germany

Trainer's position Email and phone number:  m.durante(at)gsi.de, +49 (0)6159 71 2009

Prof. Dr. Marco Durante has dedicated his research efforts to the biophysics of high-energy charged particles, with applications in cancer therapy and space radiation protection. He is generally recognized as world leader in the field of particle radiobiology and medical physics and is co-author of over 450 papers in peer-reviewed scientific journals (h-index=57) and one patent on proton therapy. He is currently chair of the ESA Topical Team on Space Radiation and of the Particle Therapy Co-Operative Group (PTCOG). Prof. Durante has been awarded several prizes for his contributions to charged particle biophysics, including the 2013 IBA-Europhysics Award for Applied Nuclear Science and Nuclear Methods in Medicine (European Physics Society), the 2013 Bacq & Alexander award of the European Radiation Research Society (ERRS), and the 2020 Failla award of the Radiation Research Society (RRS). He is recipient of an ERC Advanced Grant in 2020 on particle therapy.

Trainer’s name: Rubén García Alía
Trainer’s position: Radiation effects physicist at CERN
Trainer’s email, phone number: Ruben.garcia.alia(at)cern.ch; +41 (0)754118490

Rubén García Alía is part of the “Radiation to Electronics” (R2E) project at CERN, which he leads since 2018. After having studied nuclear and high-energy physics in the Complutense University in Madrid (Spain), he started his career in radiation effects as a Young Graturate Trainee at the European Space Agency, in the Netherlands. From there, he moved to completing his PhD with CERN and the University of Montpellier, focusing on the effect of highly energetic particles on Single Event Effects in the LHC accelerator. During this period, he was recognized with the “Best Student Paper” award in RADECS 2012, and the Paul Phelps Award in 2015. Since then, he has kept a strong involvement in radiation effects research with, focusing on high-energy accelerator applications, and has co-authored more than 75 publications in peer reviewed journals. He has also co-authored a RADECS Short Course, has been session chair at NSREC and RADECS, and is currently technical chair for RADECS 2021. Recently he was elected Junior Member-at-Large of the Radiation Effects Steering Group (RESG).

At CERN, his main task is that of managing the R2E project, which is responsible for all aspects linked to radiation effects in the LHC accelerator and its injector chair, with the mandate of ensuring its successful operation with regards to stochastic failures and lifetime degradation induced by radiation. The project, which is composed of more than 50 members, embeds a rich variety of activities and expertise, ranging from the monitoring and calculation of radiation levels, through the operation of CERN radiation facilities, and up to radiation effects testing at both component and system level.

Rubén is also coordinating the RADSAGA Marie Curie PhD network since 2017, and led the RADNEXT proposal for creating a radiation test infrastructure network in Europe, which was accepted for funding and was kicked off in June 2021.

Trainer’s name: Christian Graeff
Trainer’s position: Group leader Medical Physics
Trainer’s email and phone number: c.graeff@gsi.de, +496159711848

 Prof Dr.  Christian Graeff received his PhD in Biomedical Engineering at the Hamburg University of Technology in 2010. Since 2012, he is group leader of Medical Physics in the Biophysics department of GSI, Darmstadt, Germany, since 2018, he is the deputy scientific director of this department and since 2021 Professor for Technology of Radiotherapy at TU Darmstadt, Germany.
His main research interest are advanced treatment planning and delivery strategies for particle therapy, in particular for moving targets. Dr Graeff devised 4D-optimization strategies for conformal motion mitigation, which his group implemented in treatment planning and dose delivery systems.

Trainer’s name:  Dr. Chiara La Tessa
Trainer’s position:  Associate Professor
Trainer’s email and phone number: Chiara.latessa@unitn.it, +39 0461 282742

Prof. Dr. Chiara La Tessa graduated with a PhD in Physics at Chalmers University of Techonology in Göteborg, Sweden. She has a background in nuclear physics, with expertise in experimental techniques for radiation detection, dosimetry and microdosimetry, data analysis as well as Monte Carlo particles transport codes. Radiotherapy became one of her main research topics when she joined the Biophysics department at GSI (Darmstadt, Germany), first as a post doc and then as a tenured scientist and leader of the radiation physics group. In 2013, she became one of the coordinators of the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory (NSRL) at Brookhaven National Laboratory (NY, USA), focusing her research on space radiation.  She is currently on the faculty of the Department of Physics (Associate Professor with tenure) of the University of Trento, where she conducts her research at the proton therapy center. Starting from October 2022, she will also run her own laboratory at the Radiation Oncology Department of University of Miami (FL, USA).

Trainer’s name: Francesca Luoni

Trainer’s position: PostDoc at GSI

Trainer’s email and phone number: f.luoni(at)gsi.de; +49 (0)176 22110568

Dr. Francesca Luoni graduated in 2018 at Politecnico di Milano as a nuclear engineer with a master’s thesis work about complex plasmas performed at the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) in Munich. After that, she started her PhD at the GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research in collaboration with the Technical University of Darmstadt. Her PhD work was mostly part of the ROSSINI3 ESA project and focused on accelerator-based dose measurements performed with structural and reference, innovative and in situ shielding materials for manned space exploration and the comparison of these experimental results with the outcome of the most commonly used Monte Carlo codes in the field of radiation protection in space. Also, within a GSI-ESA-NASA collaboration that was born from the ROSSINI3 project, she generated two open-access databases of reaction and production cross-section data of use for the space radiation protection community. On the side, she worked as a freelance science communicator for several Italian and German organisations for over five years. She defended her PhD in the summer of 2022 and started a PostDoc at GSI in the same field.

Trainer’s name:  Johanna Mirsch
Trainer’s position:   Postdoc, Radiation Biology an DNA repair, TU Darmstadt
Trainer’s email and phone number: mirsch(at)bio.tu-darmstadt.de, +49 6151 1624628

Johanna Mirsch is a postdoctoral researcher and project manager at the Technical University of Darmstadt (Germany). She earned her PhD in radiation biology in 2017, where she investigated the biological effects of low doses of ionizing radiation. Human exposure to these low doses is common due to medical diagnostics and natural background radiation, making it critical to understand the biological consequences and risks. For her PhD work, she received the "KVSF Young Investigator award" from the German Ministry of Education and Research. Her current projects focus on understanding how low-dose radiation differentially affects the repair capacity of cells relative to the higher doses traditionally studied.

Trainer’s name: Dr. Radek Pleskac

Trainer’s position: FAIR/APPA coordinator for BIOMAT project

Trainer’s email and phone number: R.Pleskac(at)gsi.de, +49-6159-71 2432

Radek Pleskac obtained his PhD in nuclear physics at the Charles University in Prague, the Czech Republic in 2003. His work was devoted to experimental study of properties of hot and dense nuclear matter created during relativistic heavy-ion collisions within the TAPS and HADES scientific program.
In 2004 he was awarded with a EURATOM fellowship for 2-years stay at GSI Darmstadt to measure selected spallation cross-sections at FRS (Fragment Separator) relevant for future accelerator driven systems.
In 2007 he moved to the biophysics department at GSI Darmstadt and his fields of interest was experimental study of nuclear fragmentation processes relevant for space research and tumour therapy. He was a person of charge for the FIRST (Fragmentation of Ions Relevant for Space and Therapy) experiment performed in 2011 and also for the irradiation facility in cave A.
Since 2013 he is the resource and technical coordinator for the BIOMAT project within the APPA pillar. He coordinates planning and realization of the BIOMAT experimental facility at future FAIR.

Trainer’s name: Petra Rettberg

Trainer’s position: Research Group Leader Astrobiology, DLR

Trainer’s email and phone number: Petra.rettberg@dlr.de, +49 2203 6014637

Dr. Petra Rettberg, a biochemist by training, was head of a radiation biology group at the Max-Planck-Institute of Radiation Chemistry before she started to work at the German Aerospace Center.  As the group leader ‘Astrobiology’ her research interests encompass astrobiology, life in extreme environments, planetary protection, microbiology, radiation biology and photobiology. Besides microbiological laboratory work she was and is PI and Co-I of several space experiments. She is also active in field studies, contract research and supports technology development. She has authored more than 250 publications in refereed journals. Petra Rettberg is member of international scientific committees and advisory groups related to life sciences in space, astrobiology and planetary protection.

Trainer’s name: Andreas Rudolph

Trainer’s position: H/Astronomy and Fundamental Physics Missions Division in ESA’s Directorate of Operations

Trainer’s email and phone number:  andreas.rudolph(at)esa.int; +49 (0)6151-903 906

Andraes Rudolph is an Engineer (M.Sc., University of Stuttgart/Germany) with over 30 years of professional experience in space missions development and operations. Joined the European Space Agency at ESTEC in 1991 as AOCS engineer of the Eureca project. He moved to ESA’s control centre ESOC in Darmstadt in 1993 where he worked on several earth observation and then space science missions. Since 2008 he is Ground Segment Manager responsible for the ground segment and operations of all Astronomy and Fundamental Physics Missions operated by ESOC. He was Flight Director for Launch and Early Orbit Phases of several ESA Astronomy missions including Gaia and Lisa Pathfinder and deputy flight director for several other missions (including ESA’s Bepi-Colombo mission to Mercury).

Trainer’s name: Dr. Giovanni Santin

Trainer’s position: ESA Space Environment and Effects analyst

Trainer’s email and phone number: Giovanni.Santin(at)esa.int;  0031715656267

Dr. Giovanni Santin works in the European Space Agency Environments and Effects section, where his focus is project support in the understanding of radiation-induced risks, uncertainties and solutions. He manages R&D covering radiation transport and innovative shielding, and he oversees the development of radiation monitors for Earth orbits and interplanetary missions. He studied Physics in Trieste, Italy, where he also obtained his PhD, studying neutrino oscillations in reactor and beam experiments. After two exciting periods at CERN, Geneva, and in Lausanne, he joined the ESA team in 2002. Since 2014 he is Honorary Visiting Fellow at the University of Leicester.

Trainer’s name: Dr. Christoph Schuy

Trainer’s position:  Scientist GSI, Biophysics department, Dramstadt, Germany

Trainer’s email and phone number:c.schuy(at)gsi.de; Tel.: 06159-71-1558

Dr. Christoph Schuy graduated with a PhD (Dr. rer. nat) in physics from the Technical University of Darmstadt hosted by GSIs biophysics department in 2014. His main research focus as a PostDoc researcher in the Space Radiation Physics group of GSIs biophysics department is nuclear fragmentation experiments for particle therapy and space radiation protection. He has specialized mainly in cross section measurements and the development and verification of passive beam modulators for therapy and space applications.

Trainer’s name: Dr. Leonardo Surdo

Trainer’s position: ESA Project Scientist

Trainer’s email and phone number:  leonardo.surdo(at)esa.int;  +31 (0)71 565 6181

Dr. Leonardo Surdo graduated with a M.Sc. in Medical Biotechnology and Molecular Medicine from the University of Bari in 2010 and with a M.Sc. in Space Sciences from the International Space University in 2012. He started his career at the European Space Agency in 2013 and currently works as project scientist for biology and environmental monitoring experiments on-board the International Space Station (ISS) and other microgravity platforms, including parabolic flights, sounding rockets and sub-orbital capsules. He works on defining the scientific requirements of space experiments ranging from cell biology, microbiology, radiobiology, plant biology, tissue engineering to life support systems for human spaceflight. He also provides support to the experiments’ payloads development and from 2019, he is supporting the coordination of research activities for the lunar Gateway in the ESA Directorate of Human Spaceflight and Robotic Exploration.

Trainer’s name: Dr. Ulrich Straube

Trainer’s position: Flight Surgeon, Radiologist, Radiation Protection

Trainer’s email and phone number: Ulrich.Straube(at)ext.esa.int;  0049 2203 600413

Ulrich Straube, MD works as a flight surgeon in ESA's Medical Operations and Space Medicine Office, HRE-OM. He has been prime crew surgeon for several human space missions launched from the United States of America and Kazakhstan to the International Space Station, ISS.
Dr. Straube completed the aeromedical training with the German Air Force in 1994 at the Institute of Aerospace Medicine, Fürstenfeldbruck, Germany.  
In 1999, Dr. Straube became a member of the medical team of ESA at the European Astronaut Center in Cologne, Germany. That same year, Dr. Straube moved to the United States, starting to work for the ESA at NASA's Johnson Space Flight Center in Houston, Texas. After successfully completing his training in aerospace medicine at the University of Texas, Medical Branch, UTMB, Galveston, Dr. Straube joined the Johnson Space Center Flight Clinic as a flight surgeon-in-training. In April 2000, he received his crew- and flight-surgeon certification granted by international Multilateral Space Medicine Board, MSMB.
As a former clinical radiologist and certified radiation protection physician, Dr. Straube is a designated member for ESA in various radiation protection activities for space. Dr. Straube was appointed by the International Commission on Radiological Protection, ICRP in 2018 as a member of Task Group 115, ‘Risk and Dose Assessment for Astronaut Radiation Protection’. He engaged in the ESA’s outreach for the development and testing of the ESA Active Dosimetry System and the ESA Technology demonstration that took place onboard the ISS. At present Dr Straube is involved in NASA's Artemis program, which also carries ESA active radiation measurement instruments on board the NASA Orion capsule of the NASA/ESA Artemis 1 exploration mission that will soon orbit the Moon.

Trainer’s name: Dr. Walter Tinganelli

Trainer’s position: Clinical Radiobiology Group Leader

Trainer’s email and phone number: w.tinganelli(at)gsi.de;  +49 (0)6159 71-1352

Dr. Walter Tinganelli holds a degree in biotechnology from the University of Naples Federico II.
After graduation, Walter began his path as a radiobiologist at the research center for heavy ions (GSI) and the Technical University of Darmstadt, receiving his Ph.D. in 2012.
Immediately after receiving his Ph.D., Walter worked as the International Open Laboratory Group Director for two years at the National Institute of Radiological Sciences in Chiba, Japan.
He returned to Europe in 2014, where he worked for five years in Germany at the GSI and Italy, at the National Institute of Nuclear Physics (INFN), before becoming Clinical Radiobiology Group Leader at GSI Darmstadt.
Walter Tinganelli is involved in both clinical and space radiation research projects.

Trainer's  name: Dr. Charlot Vandevoorde

Tainer's position: Space Radiobiology Group Leader

Trainer's position Email and phone number: vandevoorde(at)tlabs.ac.za; +27 66 2079647

Dr. Charlot Vandevoorde is a radiation biologist, who obtained her PhD in Health Sciences at Ghent University in 2015, followed by a post-doc at iThemba LABS in South Africa. In 2018, she was appointed as acting manager of the Radiation Biophysics Division at iThemba LABS, with research programs in particle therapy, nuclear medicine and radiation protection. During this period, she gained extensive experience in accelerator produced particle beams for biomedical applications, including ground-based experiments with different space stressors. Together with local collaborators, she launched the South African Space Neutron Initiative (SASNI) and organized an annual 2-weeks radiobiology course at iThemba LABS for postgraduate student from various (South-) African universities. In September 2022, she joined GSI-FAIR as group leader Space Radiobiology.

Trainer’s name: Uli Weber
Trainer’s position: Head of ‘Space Radiation Physics Group’
(sub group of the GSI Biophysics department)
Trainer’s email and phone number:u.weber(at)gsi.de  ; +49 (0)6159 71 1558

Dr. Uli Weber graduated with a PhD in Physics from the University of Darmstadt in 1997. During his doctoral and postdoctoral years, he was involved in the GSI ion beam therapy project. For the next 15 years he was working for the construction of the clinical ion-beam facilities in Heidelberg and Marburg (HIT and MIT). After the completion of the project, he continued his scientific career at GSI, supervising a research group working on radiation physics and various applications for space radiation research and ion beam therapy, in particular for the development of shielding concepts and the implementation of ion-beam modulators.