ESOC Transformation Officer, European Space Agency (ESA)

Gabriele De Canio is Transformation Officer at the European Space Operations Centre (ESOC), European Space Agency (ESA). In his role, he led the development of a business-viable and technology-sound roadmap to bring further automation to space operations by leveraging artificial intelligence. He is now managing its implementation. This entails leading the development and deployment of all ESOC AI-related applications on currently flying as well as future space missions.

Previously, he used AI to automate operations, optimize onboard resources and science return, and predict anomalous behaviours. He is also Coordinator of the ESA_Lab@Oxford, where he manages collaborations between the Agency and the University of Oxford, Mentor at the Creative Destruction Lab, Karman Pioneer, and space and AI startup advisor.

Before joining ESA, he co-founded a machine learning start-up focussed on contributing towards a circular economy using satellite imagery and worked in the R&D team at McLaren Racing Formula 1. He holds a PhD in applied mathematics from the University of Cambridge.