Dr. Anita Sengupta

Hydroplane Ltd

Dr. Anita Sengupta is an aerospace engineer, instrument rated pilot, rocket scientist and veteran of the space program. She has developed technologies that have enabled the exploration of Mars, asteroids and deep space for 20 years.  Her career began with launch vehicles and communication satellites at Boeing Space and Communications. She then worked for NASA for 16 years where her engineering projects included her PhD research on developing the ion propulsion system for the Dawn Mission (currently in the main asteroid belt), the supersonic parachute that landed the Curiosity rover on Mars, and the Cold Atom Laboratory an atomic physics facility on board the International Space Station.

After leaving NASA she moved into the high-tech transportation sector and led the development of the Hyperloop as Senior Vice President of Systems Engineering at Virgin Hyperloop and co-founded an Urban Air Mobility Aviation Company Airspace Experience Technologies.

Currently as a Professor of Astronautical engineering at the University of Southern California she is researching technologies for interplanetary exploration, supersonic flight and sustainable transportation. Her most recent entrepreneurial venture is as founder/CEO of Hydroplane Ltd., which is developing power plant technology for carbon emission free aircraft. Her company is a recent awardee of an Air Force Agility Prime contract to develop a novel hydrogen fuel cell for aircraft. 

Dr. Sengupta received her MS and PhD in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Southern California. In her spare time, she is active in emergency service operations as a member of the US Air Force Auxiliary Civil Air Patrol. In her free time, she is a member of the Caltech flying club and working on her commercial rating, is a sport motorcyclist, scuba diver, mountain biker, professional pubic speaker and science communicator.

Sessions

Advanced Air Mobility
Tuesday, 18 May 2021
16:00-17:15 CEST
14:00-15:15 UTC
10 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. EDT

Sustainability: Hydrogen or Electrification – Are We Ready?
Wednesday, 19 May 2021
15:00-15:45 CEST
14:00-14:45 UTC
9 a.m. – 9:45 a.m. EDT