Summary

I am a Space Projects Manager based within the Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation, and am part of the core team delivering the University's "Mission Space" strategy and establishing the "Portsmouth Research Institute for Space Missions (PRISM)". I am involved with many space-related activities at the University, and am leading the development of a Space Missions Incubator service. This service will give researchers across the UK (and further afield) access to broad interdisciplinary expertise and industrial mission design experience that will facilitate the transformation of their scientific ideas into tangible mission concepts.

As well as this, I support students with access to the space sector including running projects; work with industry to identify research areas of mutual benefit; and manage bids for space-related projects.

Biography

Prior to joining the University of Portsmouth in Feb 2022, I completed my PhD at the University of Surrey, entitled "Expanding the Scope of GNSS-Reflectometry". GNSS reflectometry (GNSS-R) is a method of Earth observation that uses the reflections of signals from navigation satellites such as GPS to measure the scattering properties of the surface. It can be used to measure a wide range of variables including soil moisture and ocean wind speed. My research focused on adaptations to instrumentation required to enable operational sensing of land parameters from spaceborne GNSS-R payloads. I was embedded within Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. (SSTL) who have heritage in GNSS R, having developed the reflectometry payloads for the TDS-1 and CYGNSS missions. I developed the science use case for the ESA HydroGNSS mission.

Before my PhD, I worked at Airbus Defence and Space as a Space Systems Engineer, on a variety of early-mission concepts, from navigation systems to asteroid prospecting. My first degree was in Natural Sciences at Cambridge, specialising in Experimental and Theoretical Physics.

I am passionate about exploring novel mission concepts; enabling access to space; using space for sustainability, and closing the skills gap in the space sector.

Research interests

• Space Systems Engineering
• Mission Design
• Satellite Remote Sensing
• Concurrent Design Engineering
• Spacecraft Instrumentation
• GNSS-Reflectometry
• Earth Observation

Media availability

I am happy to take calls and emails from the media on my research, and am aware of the needs to respond to journalists in a timely manner. Please contact Dr Lucinda King on either lucinda.king@port.ac.uk or 07951 522272