Career Profiles

The Space Industry offers a wide variety of careers and opportunities. You might be surprised at the variety of opportunities across maths, physics, chemistry, engineering and computing. Below you’ll find a number of career stories of people working in diverse areas of the Space sector.

Eibhlin Laffan Downes Systems Engineer at Réaltra Space Systems Engineering View Profile	Bas Stijnen PhD candidate at UCD Mechanics and Materials Engineering View Profile	Giovanni Franzini Principal Research Engineer at Collins Aerospace View Profile	Maeve Doyle Flight software & operations scientist - UCD View Profile
Aidan Duggan PhD Student on the use of Artificial Intelligence in Space View Profile	Eimear O’Carroll CTO and Co- Founder Lios View Profile	Des Gleeson CEO at IntSatEx (International Satellite Exchange View Profile	Aubrey Dunne Chief Technology Officer at Ubotica Technologies View Profile
Kiera Ward Sports Scientist, Exercise Physiologist - EduFIT View Profile	Patrick Kavanagh Astrophysicist - Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies View Profile	Niamh McDermott Systems Engineer - Réaltra Space Systems Engineering View Profile	Lisa McNamee Medical Officer - Irish Defence Forces View Profile
Rosie Cane Outreach Lead - UKLSL View Profile	Heidi Thiemann Researcher/PhD student - Open University View Profile	Cian O’Regan Human Factors PhD student - MTU View Profile	Bethany Downer Chief Science Communications Officer - ESA View Profile
Giovanna Giardino Instrument Scientist - European Space Agency View Profile	John E Ward Space Product Manager - Réaltra Space Systems Engineering View Profile	Lauren McKeown Post-doctoral Research Associate in Laboratory Astrophysics View Profile	Evan Slattery Business Developer with Aerospace Engineering - Skyrora Ltd View Profile
Aoife Murphy Mechanical BIM Engineer - Jones Engineering Group View Profile	Laurence O’Rourke Space scientist and engineer at ESA View Profile	Deirdre Kilbane Head of Division of the Emerging Networks Laboratory- WIT View Profile	Thomas Ormston Deputy Spacecraft Operations Manager for Sentinel-1 - ESOC View Profile
Cillian Murphy Process Engineer- Pannonia Bio View Profile	Ines Juvan-Beaulieu Astronomy and Quantum-Applications Specialist View Profile	Peter Griffith Chief Support Scientist at NASAs Goddard Space Flight Centre View Profile	Claire Fitzgerald Arup Senior Consultant - Advanced Digital Engineering Team View Profile
Conor Cahalane Satellite Earth Observation - Maynooth University View Profile	Fátima Pinto Education Office of the European Space Agency View Profile	Caroline El Khoury University of Toronto – Research Scientist View Profile	Laci Brock PhD candidate at the University of Arizona. View Profile
Maeve Murphy Quinlan PhD Researcher in Planetary Science View Profile	Parshati Patel Astrophysicist & Science Communicator View Profile	David Long Research Fellow, Lecturer and Co-Principal Investigator View Profile	Tania Johnston Head of European Southern Observatory Supernova View Profile
Róisín Commane Asst Prof Earth & Environmental Sciences Columbia University View Profile	Juan Miro Former Head of Engineering at ESA Satellite Control Centre View Profile	Leonie Buckley – Computer Engineer Computer Engineer - Ubotica View Profile	Rachel Dunwoody PhD student in the Space Science group in UCD View Profile
Jessica Erkal PhD candidate in star formation and protostellar jets at UCD View Profile	Eóin Tuohy Trainee at Spaceship EAC View Profile	Orla Punch Architectural Designer View Profile	Hannah Currivan Space Systems Engineer - Realtra Space Systems Engineering View Profile
Aisling Shannon Structural Engineer, European Space Agency View Profile	Jan Walter Schroeder Managing Director- CisLunar Industries S.A. and Sensoco GmbH View Profile	Dylan Carroll Mechanical Design Engineer View Profile	Dr. Mariya Lyubenova Astronomer, European Southern Observatory View Profile
Stephen Ennis Ground Segment Engineer – European Astronaut Center View Profile	John O’Donoghue CEO of Enbio View Profile	Sean Mooney PhD Researcher at UCD View Profile	John Noone Postgraduate Researcher View Profile
Barry Kavavangh CEO of O.C.E. Technology View Profile	Dr. Caitriona Jackman Associate Professor of Space Physics View Profile	Hayret Abdula Functional Website Analyst and Strategist View Profile	Shane Carty Software developer for Skytek Ltd View Profile
Lána Salmon PhD student in the UCD Space Science Group View Profile	Tom O’Donoghue Astrophotographer View Profile	Paul Higgins Scientist and Science Communicator - Trinity College Dublin View Profile	Denver Humphry Radio Frequency Engineer - Arralis View Profile
James Carton Technology Director for Energy -Automative and AeroSpace Ltd View Profile	Janice Patterson Spacecraft System Engineer - European Space Agency View Profile	Paolo Fiorini Vice President of Operations - Enbio View Profile	Neil Murray Aerothermodynamics and Propulsion Design Engineer - ESA View Profile
Dominic Doyle Senior Optical Engineer - European Space Agency View Profile	Mike Gleaves CTO (Technical Director) - Arralis View Profile	Greg Johnson President - the Advancement of Science in Space View Profile	Sam Franklin Earth Observation Specialist at Archangel Imaging View Profile
Jason Spyromilio Senior Astronomer at the European Southern Observatory View Profile	Megan Walsh Mechanical Engineer at Taoglas USA View Profile	Joe Flanagan PhD Researcher at University College Dublin & Enbio Ltd View Profile	Andela Zaric Taoglas Ltd. In Subsidiary Taoglas GmbH in Munich, Germany a View Profile
Chris Anderson Chief Technology Officer for Taoglas View Profile	Dr Sophie Murray Research Fellow in the Astrophysics Research Group, Trinity View Profile	Jesper Pedersen Managing Director of Pedersen Focus Ltd, Cork View Profile	Karen O’Flaherty Science Communicator at the European Space Agency View Profile
Liam Kenny Arralis Ltd. Product Design & Manufacturing Engineer View Profile	Niamh Shaw Steam Artist, Performer, Science Communicator. View Profile	Dr. Norah Pattern Space Enthusiast and Researcher - IComp View Profile	Jonathan Faull Space Social Media and Communications View Profile
David Chamberlain Senior Systems Engineer at Curtiss-Wright View Profile	Niamh O’Keeffe Project manager with Mallon Technology View Profile	Sinead O’Sullivan CEO of Fusion Space Technologies View Profile	Aidan Cowley European Space Agency-Research Fellow View Profile
Ivan Semeniuk Science Reporter for Canada's National Newspaper View Profile	David Gibbons Manager – ESA Space Solutions Centre Ireland. View Profile	Dr. Michaela Musilova Senior Research Advisor for Mission Control Space Services View Profile	Claire FitzGerald Founding Director of Mapsphere Ltd. View Profile
Rory Fitzpatrick Chief Executive Officer of the National Space Centre, Cork View Profile	Rory Scarrott Research Assistant at University College Cork’s MaREI Centre View Profile	Ruth McAvinia APPEC Communications and Outreach Co-ordinator View Profile	Elaine Kelly Mechanical Design Engineer View Profile
Owen Hughes Manufacturing Technician View Profile	Ronan Wall Programme Manager View Profile	Jenny Hanafin Earth Observation and Modelling Manager at TechWorks Marine, View Profile	Emmet O’Brien Manufacturing Test Engineer. View Profile
Daniel Vagg System Architect View Profile	Colm Coughlan Postdoc Research Fellow at School of Cosmic Physics ,DIAS View Profile	Rosa Doran Astronomy Educator at NUCLIO / GHOU / Portuguese Astronomica View Profile	Adrian Collins Researcher at CIT Blackrock Castle Observatory View Profile

Career Videos

If you are interested in finding out more about working in Space related career, check out our series of videos featuring Irish people working in this area.

Space Industry

A growing number of Irish companies are developing products and services that will support the European Space programme and that can also be made available on the global market.

Ireland’s membership of the European Space Agency (ESA) has allowed Irish Industry to develop highly advanced technologies with extremely high levels of performance and reliability required for space systems. There are currently about 50 Irish companies, mostly small to medium sized enterprises, working with ESA, and in some cases also with other space agencies such as NASA.

Irish space companies cover a wide range of technology areas including; spacecraft avionic, electronic components, software for spacecraft control and human spaceflight, advanced materials and structures for satellites and launch vehicle, space propulsion, optoelectronic devices for satellites, and biomedical instruments for human spaceflight. Irish companies are also developing technologies and products for the commercial satellite end user market.

Innovative technologies
Irish companies have demonstrated an ability to bring highly innovative technologies to the commercial space market, in many cases developed in collaboration with Irish universities and ressearch institutes. Irish companies have also shown a strong capacity to adapt space technologies for non-space markets such as aerospace, biomedical and telecommunications.

Companies working in the space programme and market employ people with a range of skills including technical, business development, marketing, finance and legal expertise. Given the highly technical nature of space work, there is a strong demand for technical expertise in science, mathematics and engineering.

The range of technology disciplines required can be quite wide, depening on each companies specific area of activity and can include mechanical, mechatronic, electrical, biomedical, communications and software engineering, as well as basic science such as physics, chemistry, biology and maths.