Senior Sensor Network Operations Specialist
Sybilla Technologies

contact@samuelleejackson.co.uk

0000-0001-9242-4254

I am an astronomer and planetary scientist, working in the space situational awareness domain as a Senior Sensor Network Operations Specialist @ Sybilla Technologies. I have a passion for the protection of people and places, ranging from planetary defence to ensuring that our daily lives are not negatively impacted by debris and clutter in orbit around Earth.

I am also a visiting research fellow (i.e. I still do research in my spare time) associated with The Open University, where I was formerly a post-doctoral research associate (PDRA). My research is focused on simulations of thermal emission from asteroid surfaces and comparison to observations from space-based observatories and data from current and future exploration missions such as NASA's Lucy mission and ESA's Hera mission. I am also involved in an ongoing project to collect Visible-NIR spectra of meteorites for comparisons to asteroids, helping to probe planetesimal formation and evolution in the Solar System.

I previously worked as a PDRA at the University of Edinburgh where I worked on observations in support of NASA's DART mission. Worked as part of an observing team in Kenya to conduct time-of-impact observations to enable the study of material leaving the Didymos system post-impact.

My PhD research was conducted at The Open University where I studied the brightness variations of asteroids using the OpenScience Observatories, under the supervision of Professor Ulrich Kolb, Professor Simon Green, and Dr. Ben Rozitis.

Education

• PhD in Astronomy/Planetary Science, 2019 - 2023
  The Open University, Milton Keynes
• MPhys in Astronomy, Space Science and Astrophysics, 2015-2019
  University of Kent, Canterbury
• A-Level & GCSE Education, 2008-2015
  Westcliff High School for Boys, Southend-On-Sea

Awards & Memberships

• Asteroid 30226 Samuelleejackson (2000 GY137) named in recognition of my work in planetary astronomy, 2023
  Asteroids, Comets, Meteors Conference, Flagstaff, Arizona
• Awarded the Rotary Prize for the Faculty of Sciences, 2019
  University of Kent, Canterbury
• Awarded the Dean's Prize for the Faculty of Sciences, 2018
  University of Kent, Canterbury
• Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, 2017 - Present
  Royal Astronomical Society, London