Meet Our Team
UK Space LABS brings together a diverse team of seasoned experts, early career professionals and students from across the space life sciences community and aligned sectors. Our team combines decades of experience in space medicine, biomedical research, education, and industry collaboration to advance the field of space biomedicine in the UK and internationally.
Executive Committee Members
Simon Evetts
R&D Director and Human Spaceflight Specialist, PhD FRAeS
Chair
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Katherine Baxter
Research Associate, PhD
Co-ordinator
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Li Shean Toh
Assistant Professor, MPharm PhD FHEA
Deputy Co-ordinator
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Anna Thorburn
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Secretary
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Rochelle Velho
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Treasurer
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Dr Julia Attias
Researcher Development Manager/Human and Aerospace Physiologist, BSc, MSc, PhD
Communications Executive
My fundamental knowledge base lay in understanding how the removal/addition of gravitational loading affects cardiorespiratory and musculoskeletal systems as well as human movement. My research career spanned extensive investigation and experience in understanding of the efficacy of artificial gravity countermeasures - including wearable elastic garments and human centrifuges – on cardiorespiratory, neuromuscular and movement biomechanics, under both normal and microgravity paradigms. I have been, and enjoy being, involved in numerous outreach and engagement endeavours, including guest lectures, TV, Radio, interviews, blogs and competitions.
Paul Muckelt
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General Executive
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Luke Hughes
Associate Professor, PhD
General Executive
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Charlie Young
Managing Director (Design) Plastron UK Ltd & CEO Near Zero by Design Ltd
General Executive
A skilled business & industrial innovator and product design specialist in healthTech and space engineering, including 20 years’ experience in frontline upstream unmanned space engineering, digital design & delivery and business transformation in both healthcare and space: • Design & development of state-of-the-art spacecraft processing environments and cleanrooms. • Design of advanced, mobile laboratories for pre-flight processing and post-flight repatriation of ISAM hardware. • Development of propulsion, launch operations and space systems engineering training programmes • Multi-disciplinary design of data-driven software platforms for LCA analysis and engineering risk management. • Business development, business case and value proposition development for new digital and physical techology products. • Concept development of integrated servicing processes and infrastructure for orbital microgravity missions in the biosciences.
Dr Deepasree Bangaru-Raju
Medical Doctor and Research Fellow, BMBS, MRCP (London), PgDip (Clinical Toxicology)
General Executive
Deepasree Bangaru-Raju is an Acute Medicine Physician at University Hospital Southampton and Clinical Research Fellow with the Machine Learning Team at University of San Diego working on predictive models for patients with heart failure. In addition to clinical responsibilities, she is a member of the Austrian Space Forum (OeWF) and is part of the Biomedical Engineering leadership team. She has completed various space analogue missions, participating as a MEDO for the AMADEE 20 mission and an analogue astronaut (AA). She is also the medical leas for the upcoming World’s Biggest Analog mission. She is a fellow of the Royal Geographic Society, completed the European Space Agency Physician Training and was a member of the European Space Agency (ESA) systemic review team. Her clinical and academic pursuits reflect her aspiration to find solutions in delivering healthcare in microgravity environments for deep space exploration.
Robert Nagy
Applications Consultant & Developer, BSc, MSc, PhD (anticipated)
Website Development & Contents Management
Robert is an avid space enthusiast whose multidisciplinary expertise encompasses Biomedical Engineering, Information Technology, Business, Clinical Data Science, and Artificial Intelligence. This diverse foundation is further enriched by over eight years of academic research experience in Neuroscience, Medical Imaging, Biophysics, and Health Data. He is presently engaged in high-performance computing, contributing to projects in satellite imagery, weather modelling, and Safe Haven Health Data services, whilst expecting a PhD in Clinical Data Science with a focus on Health Technology Appraisal. Robert aspires to advance his career at the nexus of space, life, and intelligent systems, striving to bridge disparate fields of knowledge and uphold the highest standards of quality and ethics. Following the completion of his doctorate, he has joined the 2025 cohort of the International Space University’s Space Studies Masters Programme.
External Agency Point of Contacts
Libby Moxon
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UK Space Agency
UKSA Liaison
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Prof Elisa Raffaella Ferre
Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience, BSc Psychology; MSc Psychology; PhD Psychology/Cognitive Neuroscience.
ELGRA Research
Elisa Raffaella Ferré is a Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience in the School of Psychological Sciences at Birkbeck University of London. She earned herPhD in Psychology from the University of Pavia in Italy in 2012 and joined Birkbeck in 2021, after holding academic positions at University College London (UCL) and Royal Holloway University of London. Prof Ferré has quickly established herself as a world-leading researcher in the cognitive neuroscience of the vestibular system, employing a distinctive approach to vestibular research. Her work has had a broad impact, transforming our understanding of the vestibular system across psychology, clinical vestibular research, and human space exploration. She has led numerous research projects published in prestigious journals, such as Current Biology, Psychological Science, and Cortex. Her work has been featured in major media outlets, including New Scientist, BBC Science Focus Magazine and The Guardian. She serves as Vice President of the European Low Gravity Research Association (ELGRA) and collaborates with the European Space Agency (ESA) Education and the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) on initiatives like Access to Space for All. She also acted as mentor for the UNOOSA Space4Women program which empowers young women to pursue careers in space science.
Adam Hawkey
United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA)
UNOOSA
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Phil Carvil
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UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)
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Samantha Jones
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UKSA space exploration advisory committee (SEAC)
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Kate Robson Brown
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Space Academic Network (SPAN)
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