Dr. Thomas Zurbuchen, known as “Dr. Z” to the community, is a Swiss-American astrophysicist and team builder, who completed his PhD at the University of Berne in 1996. In that same year, he left for the US and joined the University of Michigan as a research associate, where, in 2008, he was made Professor of Space Science and Aerospace Engineering. While at Michigan, Dr Zurbuchen founded the largest Entrepreneurship programme at American Universities, the Michigan Center for Entrepreneurship. Later, from 2016 to 2022, Dr. Zurbuchen was the longest continually serving Head of Science at NASA, the leading program worldwide for doing science in and from space. During this time, he drove all aspects of leadership in space science, heading 120+ missions, launching 37, and starting 54. His achievements include, but are not limited to, bringing the international James Webb Telescope to launch, overseeing two Mars landings - the Perseverance rover and the first controlled flight away from the Earth with the Ingenuity helicopter - and developing the Parker Solar Probe, a mission to touch the Sun. Dr. Zurbuchen is a member of the international Academy of Astronautics. Since mid-2023, Thomas Zurbuchen is leading ETH Zurich Space, where he is fostering startups, supporting science and building the first space master’s programme in Switzerland, which accepted its first students in 2024. He is also active as a speaker, consultant and board member.

Dr. Jeevan Perera is a Senior Engineer at NASA, Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.  He is currently Deputy Branch Chief for Dynmaic Systems Tests in the Engineering Directorate.  He has had assignments in varying technical and management areas and disciplines including as the risk manager for several manned space programs such as the International Space Station, the Orion Spacecraft and others.  Other roles have included the shared responsibility for the management of program business and project planning activities, management and assessment of project budgets, procurement, contracts, configuration management, security, information technology, project schedules, and others.  His early focus area was in software development which included management/oversight duties over versions of the primary and back-up flight software for the Space Shuttle.  Dr Perera has been with NASA for over 35 years and has earned both a Jurisprudence Doctorate (licensed to practice law) and a Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering with an undergraduate degree in Aerospace Enginnering. He is a licensed pilot and has served on many non-profit boards.

Michael Pawlyn is an architect, writer and public speaker. He has been described as an expert in regenerative design and biomimicry. He established his firm Exploration Architecture in 2007 to focus on high performance buildings and solutions for the circular economy. The company has developed a ground-breaking office project, an ultra-low energy data centre, a zero waste textiles factory and progressive solutions for green cities. Michael Pawlyn jointly initiated the widely acclaimed Sahara Forest Project; the latest version of which was opened by the King of Jordan in 2017.

• Prior to setting up Exploration, Michael Pawlyn worked with Grimshaw for ten years and was central to the team that designed the Eden Project. He is regularly booked as a keynote speaker on innovation and his TED talk has had over 2 million views.

• He has written two books - Flourish: Design Paradigms for Our Planetary Emergency (co-authored with Sarah Ichioka) and Biomimicry in Architecture – both of which have been the respective publisher’s best-selling title. In 2019 he jointly initiated ‘Architects Declare a Climate and Biodiversity Emergency’ – a global call to action which has spread to 28 countries with over 7,000 firms signed up.

• He has delivered a numbered of high profile lectures including as part of the following programmes: Cambridge University Darwin College Lecture Series, The Genius of Nature Series at the Natural History Museum of Utah, The CE100 Annual Summit organised by The Ellen MacArthur Foundation.

• He has been featured in The Financial Times, National Geographic, The Economist, Wired and The Guardian as well as in a large number of design magazines. His television and radio appearances include ‘Animal Einsteins’ on BBC television and a number of programmes on BBC Radio 4.

Billy Almon is an Astrobiofuturist who uses nature’s hidden wonders to design innovative solutions that improve the human condition—both for those on Earth and those venturing to the stars. Through his Dream and Adapt Framework, Billy inspires leaders, educators, and creators to think boldly, adapt intelligently, and thrive in dynamic environments by applying biology-inspired strategies to solve complex challenges.

Billy speaks to inventors, designers, scientists, STEM educators, and engineers, empowering them to design the future they wish to see. His work integrates empathetic speculative design, psychology, and storytelling to uncover nature’s deep insights and hidden innovations, showing how bold ideas can become practical solutions.

Billy is also the co-host of Little Giants, a TV series on Animal Planet and Discovery Plus that showcases his global explorations into biomimicry—the nature-inspired design process that informs much of his work.

Previously, Billy served as a creative director at Walt Disney Imagineering, where he led efforts to create dynamic immersive experiences and rich environments for audiences worldwide. An inventor and thought leader, he holds a Master’s degree in Biomimicry from Arizona State University and a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture from Howard University.

Jason Michaud is the Founder & CEO of Stardust Inc., leading global initiatives to advance space exploration, education, and workforce development. Raised in the remote town of Dubreuilville, he overcame the challenges of an isolated community to pursue a career in the space industry, now working to inspire and prepare the next generation for the new space economy.

With 80+ parabolas of microgravity, lunar, and Martian gravity flight experience, Jason is actively training to become a private astronaut. His work spans corporate diplomacy, space policy, and innovation, focusing on expanding access to space and bridging the gap between education and industry.

Building the Future of Space Exploration

Founder of Stardust Odyssey, a global space education program reaching hundreds of thousands of students across MENA, North America, and beyond

International Collaborator, working with industry leaders such as NASA, Lockheed Martin, Blue Origin, MDA, and ispace

Space Careers & Workforce Development, creating pathways for the next generation of engineers, scientists, and explorers

Lunar & Mars Settlement Research, developing technology and training programs for future off-world missions

Major Projects & Impact

Stardust Festival, a large-scale space education event inspiring students worldwide

SERENITY Project, an initiative allowing astronauts to connect with loved ones from space

Robotic Arm One For All, enabling future generations to experience the moon’s surface remotely

THEIA Lunar Analog Habitat, a research hub designed to simulate lunar living conditions

Through Stardust Inc., Jason is shaping the future of space careers, education, and settlement, ensuring humanity’s expansion beyond Earth is sustainable, innovative, and inclusive.

Dr. Erika Wagner serves as the Lead for US BusinessDevelopment at The Exploration Company, one of the fastest growing spacecompanies globally, building reusable space capsules and lunar landers. Previously,Dr. Wagner spent more than a decade at Blue Origin, where she helped drive thecompany’s go-to-market strategies in suborbital research, commercial spacestations, and lunar technologies. Earlier, she worked with the X PRIZEFoundation as Senior Director of Exploration Prize Development and foundingExecutive Director of the X PRIZE Lab@MIT. She also served at MIT as ScienceDirector and Executive Director of the Mars Gravity Biosatellite Program.

In the community, Dr. Wagner has worked with The NationalAcademies since 2014, including her current seat on the Steering Committee forA Science Strategy for the Human Exploration of Mars. Her Board service currentlyfocuses on STEM/STEAM engagement and innovation with The Museum of Flight andAurelia Institute. She is an advocate for gender diversity in tech with theInternational Women’s Forum and Brooke Owens Fellowship.

Dr. Wagner’s interdisciplinary academic background includes studiesin Biomedical and Aerospace Engineering from Vanderbilt University, MIT, InternationalSpace University, and the Harvard/MIT Division of Health Sciences andTechnology. Her research spanned both human and mammalian adaptation tomicrogravity, partial gravity, and centrifugation; as well as organizationalinnovation and prize theory. She has been named a Fellow of the AmericanSociety for Gravitational and Space Research (ASGSR) and the Explorers Club,and an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics andAstronautics (AIAA).

Prof. Kargren has extensive background and career in the space industry spanning from ground communication systems to earth observation applications in global leading companies and institutions. Over the years, he has been working closely on many space related projects with space agencies around the world including NASA, ESA, JAXA, ISRO, NZ Space Agency and number of global commercial companies such as SpaceX, RocketLab, Planet, Airbus, Maxar, Spire and OneWeb

He is an accomplished professor, board member, and consultant, who leads transformational digital change. Lately he has been working extensively in the area of AI/ML and digital innovation utilising innovative technologies to analyse Earth Observation data helping organizations leverage new opportunities through AI analytics helping solving problems in agriculture, forestry, utilities and maritime surveillance.

Rafael has been also playing critical role in developing and shaping Earth Observation strategy in many countries and has been involved in implementation of national earth observation data centres and information management systems for initiatives such as Open Data Cube, Copernicus Data Hub and Digital Earth.

He is actively involved in many international EO communities and initiatives to improve humanitarian actions and disaster response.  

@RafaelKargren
www.linkedin.com/in/kargren

Dr. Ariel Ekblaw is the founder and CEO of Aurelia Institute and GP for Aurelia Foundry Fund, where she strives to bring humanity’s space exploration future to life. Through space architecture R&D, education and outreach, and investments in new space start-ups, she is building an ecosystem to expand humanity’s horizons, democratize access to opportunities in low Earth orbit, and scale up life in space. Ariel was the founding Director of the MIT Space Exploration Initiative, a team of 50+ students, faculty, and staff building and flying advanced technology for space exploration. Ariel graduated with a B.S. in Physics, Mathematics, and Philosophy from Yale University and designed a novel space architecture habitat for her MIT PhD in autonomously self-assembling space structures. Her research work and the labs she leads build towards future habitats and space stations in orbit around the Earth, Moon, and Mars. Ariel is the author/editor of Into the Anthropocosmos: A Whole Space Catalog from the MIT Space Exploration Initiative (MIT Press 2021), serves on the NASA Lunar Surface Innovation Consortium (LSIC) Executive Committee and XPRIZE Global Visioneering Committee, and holds an appointment as a Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School Belfer Center. Ariel’s work has been featured in WIRED, Harvard Business Review, the Wall Street Journal, the BBC, CNN, NPR, numerous academic papers, top tech podcasts, and more.

Martina Dimoska is an award-winning and published research scholar, engineer, and pioneering figure in space exploration at the national, regional, and international levels. She is the first Macedonian and the first female Balkan analog astronaut, having served as Commander of LunAres’ Terra Nova mission (supported by ESA, POLSA, and Axiom Space) and M08 SELENE. Her analog mission experience also includes the ESA-supported ICEE. Space mission, Astroland’s APICES under Commander and ESA Astronaut Reserve Ales Svoboda, and the NASA-supported UND ILMAH 14. Martina is also a Senior NASTAR Ambassador, holding Suborbital Spaceflight Certification.  

Her work has gained recognition from esteemed global platforms and organizations, including Forbes, Bloomberg Adria, Huffington Post, UNDP, UN Women, Europe House (EU), OSCE, Al Jazeera, TEDx, and many others. A three-time TEDx speaker and Google Women Techmaker Ambassador, Martina has received numerous accolades, including the prestigious Emerging Space Leader Award from the International Astronautical Federation (IAF), where she remains actively involved. She currently serves as the National Point of Contact for North Macedonia at the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC).

Martina is the Founder and President of the International Space Alliance (ISA), a nonprofit organization working to bridge the gap between space agencies, industry, and academia while expanding space access to underserved regions. She is also the first Macedonian to secure a NASA Space Act Agreement with both NASA Ames and NASA Glenn for hosting the annual NASA Space Apps Challenge in Mountain View and Cleveland.

Currently completing her Master’s in Space Studies at the International Space University with a focus on In-Situ Resource Utilization and Material Engineering, Martina also holds degrees in Materials Engineering and Nanotechnology. She is a Global UGRAD alumna and a Commercial Space Studies graduate from Florida Tech, supported through the Aldrin Family Foundation scholarship. Through her educational outreach and her platform @astro_smarta, she actively champions diversity, equity, and inclusion in STEM and space.

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Barbara Belvisi is an entrepreneur passionate about space, hardware, biology and AI. She started her career as an investor, from Private Equity to Venture Capital. She founded her own asset management firm at 27 to invest in deeptech startups and then co-founded Hardware Club at 29, a VC fund dedicated to hardware and robotics companies. Meanwhile, she participated in launching several innovation programs like Hello Tomorrow, the largest deeptech event in Europe. At 33, she left her investor career and started learning engineering and architecture. Drove by her childhood passion for nature and space, she spent a year with NASA engineers prior to launching Interstellar Lab.

Interstellar Lab’s mission is to preserve life on Earth and expand it to Space. To do so, it develops, manufactures and operates a biofarming platform combining hardware, AI and bioscience on Earth and in space. On Earth, they provide an integrated solution to cosmetics and F&B companies for clean production of plant-based ingredients. In space, they provide food production and plant research capabilities to space stations. As a first step towards their multi-planetary vision, NASA has selected their technology for food production in a long-manned mission. Interstellar Lab has also launched a lunar mission in partnership with Antoine de Saint Exupéry Youth Foundation to grow roses on the moon.

Barbara is Top 10 Women in Tech in France, Top 100 Forbes, Best Innovator 2022, Choiseul 100, BOLD Award 2023.

Antonio is a Korean-born space policy and strategy expert. He is the Global Alliance Lead for ispace Inc., a Japanese company providing lunar lander and cislunar operations services. He was formerly the Country Manager for HEO and a Partner Sales Executive at Planet Labs - both satellite companies serving the Indo-Pacific area with space-based monitoring data. Antonio is also an underwater analog astronaut on the UMIC team in China, becoming certified as a PADI Astronaut Diver. Antonio serves on multiple space NGOs, including the International Astronautical Federation, Space Court Foundation, Interstellar Foundation, and Moon Village Association. He is a recipient of the Emerging Space Leader Award from the International Astronautical Federation, the Young Talent Award from the Asia-Pacific Satellite Communications Council, and the ISDC Excellence Award from the National Space Society.

BS in Physics, MS Geosciences & Planetary Habitability. Penn State University.

Irene holds a master’s degree in Geosciences from the Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) the US, with a specialty in Astrobiology, space radiation environments on the Moon and Mars, and planetary habitability. Her research was focused around the radiation environments on the Moon and Mars and in collaboration with. Dr. Francis Cucinotta, former Chief radiation officer at the NASA Johnson Space Center Professor and emeritus professor James Kasting, a world recognized authority in planetary habitability. She also holds a BS in Physics (with honors) from the University of South Florida (USF) the US. She has a long-life passion in addressing the critical emergency scenarios that can arise if astronauts on a space mission would be exposed to a mayor solar storm potentially compromising mission success and the health of the astronaut crews.

Chiara Manfletti holds a degree in engineering from Imperial College London, a masters degree in space studies from the International Space University and a PhD from RWTH Aachen. She worked for the German Aerospace Center as a research engineer in liquid rocket propulsion and later joined the European Space Agency as Head of Policy and Programmes. In 2019 she was nominated the first President of the then just founded Portuguese national space agency. Today she is Professor of Space Mobility and Propulsion at the Technical University of Munich and CEO of Neuraspace.

Josef Šobra is the Secretary of Czech Space Alliance, an industrial association bringing together companies with proven results in the space industry. He also works at the Technology Centre Prague, where he is looking for new project opportunities in the Czech space ecosystem.

He graduated from the Faculty of Science of Charles University and passed a traineeship programme at the European Space Agency in ESRIN. Most of his work experience was gained during his tenure at the Czech Space Office (2007-2015) and the Ministry of Transport of the Czech Republic (2016-2023). In 2007 he was involved in the organisation of the first ESA industrial audit in the Czech Republic and in 2010 in the organisation of the International Astronautical Congress IAC in Prague.

In the past he served as a representative of the Czech Republic to the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee of UN-COPUOS and a number of programme boards, committees and working groups of the European Space Agency and the European Commission. He gradually changed the domains of scientific research in space, Earth observation, satellite and quantum-secured telecommunications, positioning, precise timing and navigation. He was the contact point for the Czech industry for a number of ESA and EU technology and application programmes including Copernicus, Galileo, EGNOS, Govsatcom, IRIS2 and others.

Ondřej Šváb is the Head of Space Activities Unit at the Ministry of Transport of the Czech Republic. Among main responsibilities of his Unit are coordination of space activities in the Czech Republic, definition of CZ Space Strategy, representation of the CZ in ESA boards and committees, full or partial responsibility of EU Space programs in the CZ and for Space policy. On the field of digital maps it is development of Spatial Data Infrastructures focused on transport and active participation on National Spatial Data agenda. Ondřej is the Czech representative at European Space Agency bodies and EU space related bodies, incl. Space Working Party, Space Program EU Committees, EUSPA Administrative Board, Space Policy Expert Group, ESA Council, ESA Earth Observation Program Board and others. From 9/2020 until 9/2023 he was holding a position of ESA Data, Operations, Science and Technical Advisory Group (DOSTAG) chairman. He has been responsible for negotiation about EU Space Program, EUSPA and related frameworks on behalf of the Czech Republic. Ondřej holds an expertise in Space Policy, Earth Observation and related technologies and he is a landscape engineer and geoinformatics expert by training.

Luis Bernardo Guzmán (1984) is an artist, researcher, and curator working at the intersection of art and space exploration. He is the founder of Radix-Lucis Studio, a space dedicated to integrating art, biotechnology, and space exploration. Currently pursuing a PhD at Northumbria University Newcastle in the Space IDRT, Guzmán investigates the theoretical and practical relationship between art and aerospace technology through Organism-Oriented Ontologyand Cosmotechnics.

His artistic practice involves the development of biological sculptures — self-sustaining systems that evolve over time — while his theoretical work explores the plasticity of life in extreme environments, bridging art, philosophy, and astrobiology.

Guzmán’s work has been presented at internationally renowned institutions and events, including Ars Electronica, the London Design Fair, the Saint Étienne Biennale du Design, Talbot Rice Gallery (UK), the Biodesign Challenge at MoMA, and the Museum of Contemporary Art of Chile. His work has been collected internationally, notably by the Bernheim Foundation, and has been curated by the MIT Space Exploration Initiative.

He has been recognized for his contributions to the intersection of art and science, receiving an award from the Robert Callender Foundation for his innovative approach to bio-art and environmental exploration.

Guzmán has developed two space-borne art projects exploring bio-art and cultural narratives in microgravity: one aboard the International Space Station and another through the Plantsat cubesat mission. Currently, he is preparing three upcoming projects set to launch to the International Space Station and the Moon.

Luis serves as the Project Leader and Curator of the Moon Gallery Lunar Mission, scheduled for launch in 2027. He is also a member of Biofutures for Transplanetary Habitats (UK), Lateral Lab (UK), Cultural Negotiation of Science (UK), and the Space and Planetary Exploration Laboratory (CL), where he collaborates with scientists and artists to develop new forms of artistic expression in space

Conference Title: Analog Habitats Supporting Design and Protocols of Space Farming Research: Insights from Habitat Marte
Presenter: Julio Rezende

Description:
As humanity prepares for long-duration missions on the Moon, Mars, and beyond, the development of reliable food production systems in extraterrestrial environments becomes critical. This conference, led by Julio Rezende, explores how analog habitats—especially the Brazilian space analog station Habitat Marte—are contributing to the advancement of space farming strategies and sustainability protocols.

Drawing from extensive research and simulations at Habitat Marte, this session will present insights into hydroponic and aquaponic systems, biowaste recycling, water management, and crew nutrition planning in isolated environments. The presentation highlights how analog missions serve as platforms for prototyping and refining technologies, operational procedures, and behavioral protocols essential for self-sufficient space agriculture.

Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of how analog research can inform space mission planning, sustainability goals on Earth, and future policies for extraterrestrial habitation.

Rania Toukebri, Spacecrafts architect and Senior Team Leader with more than 10 years in the space sector. She worked on the design of systems and subsystems of many major European Space Agency projects: HERA - first planetary defense, Lunar Gateway (Artemis), Jupiter Icy Moons satellite, PLATO telescope and many others. She is mentor for the United Nations mentorship program #space4women, TEDx speaker and lecturer all over the world on space security and space technology topics, for universities and organizations like UNIDIR, African Union, EU events, UNOOSA, NATO and universities across the globe. She won several prices among them JCI TOYP award, SGAC pioneer award, top 10 under 30 in space in africa and top 100 of women in aerospace and defense in 2023 and 2025.

Dr. Maria Moukarzel is a Paris-based dental surgeon and political scientist specializing in diplomacy and strategic negotiations. With a unique interdisciplinary background, she also holds a degree in humanities and philosophy, giving her a broad, human-centered perspective on complex global challenges.

Dr. Moukarzel’s academic and professional work centers on the intersection of global health, diplomacy, and crisis management. She is particularly focused on how diplomatic strategies can strengthen international cooperation during health emergencies, pandemics, and other cross-border crises — a topic of increasing urgency in our interconnected world and, more recently, in the expanding domain of space exploration.

Combining her medical expertise with political analysis, Dr. Moukarzel brings a rare and valuable voice to conversations about biosecurity, resilience, and innovation. Her work bridges the worlds of healthcare, international relations, and ethics, offering fresh insights into how multidisciplinary approaches can address the most pressing issues of our time.

At Bioinspired Frontiers 2025, Dr. Moukarzel will present on “Biosecurity Beyond Earth: Health Diplomacy and Crisis Coordination in the New Space Era,” exploring how principles of global health diplomacy and bioinspired resilience can help humanity prepare for the unique challenges of space missions in times of crisis.

• Adriana has a background in theoretical physics, her award-winning PhD and postdoctoral

• work focused on quantum effects in biology and the origins of the building blocks of life in

• space. Adriana is currently a researcher at Stellenbosch University and the National Institute

• of Theoretical and Computational Sciences, both in South Africa, and also an expert at the

• Singularity University in California.

• In 2019, she left her position as Head of Innovation for Africa with SAP to found Proudly

• Human. She has visited Antarctica, Norway, deserts in the Middle East and Africa, the

• Aquarius Reef Base undersea habitat and submarine naval bases on location scouts for

• Proudly Human’s Off-World Project. The Project, also to be streamed globally as a

• documentary series, is a range of off-grid habitation experiments in the most extreme

• environments on the planet, in preparation for life on the Moon, Mars and beyond, as well

• as a resilient future here on Earth.

• Since 2017, Adriana is a Director at the Foundation for Space Development Africa, and also

• the chief scientist for the Foundation’s Africa2Moon Project, currently shortlisted for launch

• to the lunar south pole. Africa2Moon will be Africa’s first Moon mission, and potentially the

• world’s first lunar radio telescope, performing new science not possible from Earth. She is

• also a member of the committee on Space Resources of the Geneva Science and Diplomacy

• Anticipator.

• In 2025, her book “Out of this world, and into the next” detailing the vision of humanity’s

• journey into the stars will be published in China, and internationally with Profile Books. In

• the meantime, she is a visiting scientist at Shenzhen Nanshan Huitong School in China.

Daniela de Paulis is a media artist exhibiting internationally. She is also a licensed radio operator. Her artistic practice is informed by Space in its widest meaning. Since 2009 she has been implementing radio technologies and philosophies in her art projects. She is currently Artist in Residence at the SETI Institute (California) and Visiting Fellow at the Green Bank Observatory (West Virginia), with the support of the Baruch Blumberg Fellowship in Astrobiology. She is collaborating with prominent research institutes, including the European Space Agency, INAF (Italian Research Institute for Radio Astronomy), the Donders Centre for Neuroimaging and the University of Cambridge. For her projects, she is using state of the art radio telescopes, such as the Green Bank Telescope (West Virginia), the Allen Telescope Array (California), the Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory (UK), the Medicina Radio Telescope and the Sardinia Radio Telescope (Italy). In 2009 she developed the Visual Moonbounce technology (also called EME SSVT), in collaboration with international radio operators, and for the past fifteen years she has been developing innovative projects combining radio technologies with live performance art and neuroscience. She is a Corresponding Member of the IAA (International Academy of Astronautics), a member of the IAA SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Committee and a member of the IAA Moon Far Side Protection Committee. She is part of the committee organizer for the Electronic Visualisation in the Arts conference in London and part of the editorial board for the Springer Space and Society series. In addition to her artistic practice, she has published academic papers with the Leonardo MIT Journal, Routledge, Springer, Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, among others. She is the recipient of the Art of Neuroscience Prize 2022 with the project Mare Incognito, also shortlisted for other international festivals and featured on Scientific American. Her project “A Sign in Space” is the Winner of the Gizmodo Science Fair 2024, and has been featured by international media outlets, including The New York Times, CNN, CBC, ABC Australia, Wired, Scientific American, as well as radio and television programmes.  . She presented the project as part of the Billingham Cutting Edge Lecture at the International Astronautical Congress in 2022 and 2024. De Paulis is the winner of the Europlanet Prize for Public Engagement 2023. In November 2023, the International Astronomical Union named asteroid 52959 Danieladepaulis.

• Lina Khalifeh is the Founder and CEO of SheFighter, The First Self-Defense studio for women only started in Jordan, The Middle East, and expanded to 35 countries globally.
• The studio was founded in 2012 and has trained more than 25 thousand women and certified 700+ female Instructors all over the globe.
• Lina Khalifeh has many great achievements,
• - President Barack Obama mentioned her in his speech at the White house in 2015, and named her "Leader of Social Change".
• - Lina was awarded the "Stuart Scott Humanitarian ENSPIRE award", presented by ESPN and UFC 2019 in Los Angeles, California.
• - She was awarded “The Economic Empowerment Leadership award”, by Hillary Clinton and Vital Voices in Washington D.C. in 2018.
• - She was invited to speak at the World Economic Forum 2019 in Davos, Switzerland.
• - She published her book “SheFighter: From Trouble Maker to Global Change Maker”
• SheFighter Website: www.shefighter.com

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Abby Harrison is a Graduate Research Fellow at Queen’s University studying Arctic region biogeochemistry as a member of the Facility for Biogeochemical Research on Environmental Change and the Cryosphere(FaBRECC) lab. Previously she has conducted immunology/neuroscience research at Harvard Medical School, astrobiology research at the Space Life Sciences Labs, machine learning research at Wellesley College, and limnology research at Lake Baikal, Siberia. Abby holds a bachelor's degree in biology from Wellesley College. Abby has had a passion for space exploration her entire life and is working towards becoming a NASA astronaut. At 15 years old, Abby served as the Earth Liaison for European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano, helping to share his experiences living and working in space with people on Earth. She then went on to found and lead The Mars Generation Non-profit for 7 years. Under her leadership, this organization reached tens of millions of people with digital science content, engaged more than 2,000 students in a student leadership development program, secured hundreds of thousands of dollars to provide hands-on STEM experiences for young people from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, and aided teachers around the world in developing and delivering space and science curriculum in grade school classrooms. In 2019, Abby was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for her innovative education advocacy work with The Mars Generation. Abby is the author of Dream Big: How to Reach for Your Stars, a book that guides young people in developing the skills necessary to achieve their dreams. Recently Abby was a member of the teaching team for the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program, where she mentored undergraduate students in designing research to fly on the International Space Station. Abby is a prolific public speaker and staunch advocate for the future of space exploration and STEM education. She has delivered hundreds of presentations on these subjects, ranging from grade school audiences to the US House of Representatives. In 2024, Abby received the prestigious commercial space industry Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship and worked as an engineering intern at the commercial space company Voyager Space, during which she contributed to testing the Sierra Space Dream Chaser spaceplane, improving laser communications systems for the International Space Station, and the development of the Starlab commercial space station.

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Abby has trained as a pilot, Rescue SCUBA Diver, and Emergency Medical Technician and is always searching for her next adventure. Abby has studied Mandarin Chinese, Russian, and Spanish and is passionate about all types of collaboration in the space industry, including international and private/public sectors. In her free time, she creates educational videos and content on social media to excite more people about space and science. You can join Abby on her journey to become an astronaut by following her at @astronautabbyofficial.

Jay Harman has successfully commercialized numerous award-winning products and has been recognized by the US, Japanese, and Korean Societies of Mechanical Engineers for his contributions to the field of fluid dynamics.  Named a lifetime Invention Ambassador by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Jay’s work on nature-inspired design is featured in many documentaries.  Along with his role as CEO of the engineering firm PAX Scientific, he is a published author and holds more than 25 patents.