Can you tell us more about your background and your journey so far at Teledyne Space Imaging?

Prior to joining the business, I was a technical specialist in sensor and instrumentation development in industries including chemical sensing, thermal cameras, optical components and DNA sequencing instrumentation. The latter providing the pathway into imaging. I joined the business as a Characterisation Engineer that accelerated my knowledge in imaging technologies and what’s involved in developing the next generation of imaging products.

This provided the platform to progress though different engineering roles, leading broader developments and having the opportunity of heading up different engineering functions on the way. A key theme was the involvement in new product development and establishing new capabilities, in particular to support the transition from CCD to CMOS imaging technology.

It sounds as though the business has changed significantly. Tell us about some of the opportunities that you have contributed to?

I had the opportunity to create and lead a dedicated characterisation function within Teledyne Space Imaging, in response to the challenges of establishing a CMOS space imaging business and how to keep pace with the market demands. I was fortunate enough to establish this capability with an exceptional group of engineers in 2012 that exceeded expectations in developing new test capabilities and processes. It’s great to see the function continue to go from strength to strength at the heart of new developments in both CMOS and infrared detectors.

I’ve had the opportunity to support the development of space Front End Electronics (FEE) enabling our business to offer systems solutions. It’s been a privilege to see the different teams involved transforming their capabilities to meet the challenge, enabling Teledyne to deliver much more than just detectors going forward.

What is involved on a day-to-day basis in your role as Chief Engineer at Teledyne Space Imaging?

The role uses my broad experience, not only of the business, but of the wider space imaging market to understand what kind of products and solutions customers are looking for to meet their requirements. Regarding the business development aspect of my work, I look out into the market to see what customers want and where we can add value. I provide a bridge between business development and product creation by helping to initiate projects, whilst ensuring alignment to our strengths and capabilities.

I have the opportunity of interacting with all the business functions involved in the delivery of projects and to understand the technical challenges and risks, whilst working with them to propose the best solution to meet the business need. Related to supporting this, I also maintain the R&D plan that capture the areas of investment to support new products, technologies and capabilities identified.

Where do you see the future of Teledyne Space Imaging?

Ultimately we will continue to advance the detector technologies that have the resolution, sensitivity, speed and functionality that meet the agreed requirements of our customers. Collaboration across the broader Teledyne Imaging businesses will continue to be important in providing new opportunities in project delivery. Standardising some products will be a key focus to meet the needs of the growing commercial space market.

Over the past few years, I have been involved in development activities enabling Teledyne moving up the value chain and deliver FEE. This is somewhere where I can see an exciting future for us. The space industry is changing rapidly with new entrants who do not have the expertise of detector operation. In addition, system solutions enable us to simplify the operation of detectors that are increasingly flexible with multiple operating modes.

For many applications there will be higher levels of off-chip processing required to transform the raw detector output data stream into the image data used by our customers. Mastering the electronics and data processing capabilities allows us to provide the image data quality required at system level during the life of the mission, whilst providing the feedback necessary to develop future detectors. 

What would you advise people who are aspiring to follow in your footsteps and become a chief engineer in the space imaging sector?

The great thing about Teledyne Space Imaging is that it provides so many opportunities for people to challenge themselves, develop new skills and take on new roles. Go for it, the support is always there. Personal feedback always enables reflection and allows a plan for improvement. Share your ideas and engage in the bigger picture.

An aspect that I think is very important is working as a team. This has been a highlight of my career – working with talented, dedicated people to solve technical challenges and develop new solutions. You cannot become a master of everything – you must work as a team and support each other. Delivering projects and solving challenges by bringing a team together is what gives me a real buzz.

What led you to work in the space sector? Do you have an interest in space outside of your work?

A benefit of working in the space industry is that there is always something new to learn, new solutions to come up with and new customers. In particular, developing next generation products and establishing new technologies and capabilities. Working with amazing people to deliver something that has never been done before.

Initially I didn’t really share the same level of enthusiasm for space as some of my colleagues. The mission lifecycle in space can be so long that you don’t fully appreciate what you are part of. Also, I came from a scientific imaging background and had more of an interest in the amazing discoveries our technologies were enabling in the field of life sciences here on Earth.

My interest in space rapidly increased as I fully appreciated the results generated by missions enabled by our detectors. In particular, those that I was directly involved in like Sentinel 2, which I worked on from 2008 until 2018 for Earth observation. This is part of ESA’s Copernicus programme in monitoring the health of Earth. Enjoying the great outdoors myself makes me appreciate how my involvement and Teledyne’s products are generating the data to find solutions to climate change and other societal challenges, which is a real motivation.

I now find I’m inspired by the vision of so many who work in the field and coming up with new missions. I’m lucky to meet so many of them as part of my business development role and be involved at the early stage of finding solutions.