Purdue University is a leading institution in space exploration, including human spaceflight, planetary science, astronautical engineering, and more. Establishing interdisciplinary connections between academic research groups and industry partners will build a competitive workforce that is ready to respond to upcoming space exploration opportunities. The 2nd annual Advancing Space Exploration at Purdue Symposium, hosted by the College of Science, will bring together leaders from inside and outside Purdue to discuss opportunities for universities to work with industry partners to make the next giant leap in robotic and human space exploration. We will explore ways to develop spacecraft missions, discuss needed scientific, engineering, and technology developments, and identify opportunities for collaboration with both NASA and the private sector for the successful flight of compelling spacecraft missions.
Advancing Space Exploration at Purdue
Building bridges between academia and industry to enable exploration from the Earth, to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
2026 Advancing Space Exploration
- Hear from experts and thought leaders in the space industry
- Connect with leading industries driving technological advancements
- Network with top talent and faculty at the forefront of space exploration
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8:00 – 8:30 am |
Coffee and Networking PMU South Ballroom |
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8:30 – 8:35 am |
Introduction & Logistics PMU North Ballroom Mike Sori, Associate Professor, EAPS |
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8:35 – 8:45 am |
Opening Remarks PMU North Ballroom Dan DeLaurentis Executive Vice President for Research (EVPR) Bruce Reese professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics |
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8:45 – 8:50 am |
Introduction Brian Joyal PMU North Ballroom |
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8:50 – 9:20 am |
External Speaker 1 PMU North Ballroom Brian Joyal "Getting Past, Space is Hard - Risk Reduction at the Speed of Commercial" CEO, Veridiam Inc. |
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9:20 – 9:25 am |
Introduction George Pollock PMU North Ballroom |
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9:25 – 9:55 am |
Industry and Academia – Partners in Space Exploration PMU North Ballroom George Pollock IV Principal Director, Enterprise Design Subdivision at The Aerospace Corporation |
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9:55 – 10:00 am |
Introduction Rob Lillis PMU North Ballroom |
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10:00 – 10:30 am |
ESCAPADE: Lessons Learned from a Low-Cost Mission to Mars PMU North Ballroom Rob Lillis, Associate Director and PI of NASA’s ESCAPADE mission University of California Berkeley Space Science Laboratory |
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10:30 – 10:45 am |
Break Set Stage for Panel |
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10:45 – 11:30 am |
Panel on Space Exploration and Universities PMU North Ballroom Moderator: Lucy Flesch Frederick L. Hovde Dean of the College of Science |
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11:30 – 1:15 pm |
Lunch |
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1:15 – 1:20 pm |
Introduction to Internal Speaker Session 1: Opportunities for space exploration infrastructure at Purdue PMU North Ballroom Cauê Borlina, Assistant Professor, EAPS |
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1:20 – 1:35 pm |
The Lunaverse PMU North Ballroom Barrett Caldwell, Professor, Industrial Engineering |
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1:35 – 1:50 pm |
RISE PMU North Ballroom Briony Horgan, Professor, EAPS |
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1:50 – 2:05 pm |
Space Policy at Purdue PMU North Ballroom Stacey Connaughton, Director of Purdue Policy Research Institute |
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2:05 – 2:10 pm |
Introduction to Internal Session 2 – Opportunities in space exploration on, above, and in orbit around Earth PMU North Ballroom Cauê Borlina, Assistant Professor, EAPS |
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2:10 – 2:25 pm |
The Purdue 1 mission PMU North Ballroom Steven Collicott, Professor, AAE |
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2:25 – 2:40 pm |
NISAR and Earth observations from space PMU North Ballroom Andrea Donnellan, Department Head of EAPS |
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2:40 – 2:55 pm |
Remote Sensing with Signals of Opportunity: Spaceborne Proof of Concept Experiments PMU North Ballroom Jim Garrison, Professor, AAE |
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2:55 – 3:10 pm |
Microgravity experiments on ISS PMU North Ballroom Zoltan Nagy, Professor, Chemical Engineering |
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3:10 – 3:25 pm |
Break |
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3:25 – 3:30 pm |
Introduction to Internal Session 3 – Opportunities in exploring the Moon and beyond PMU North Ballroom Moderator: Kelsey Prissel, Assistant Professor, EAPS |
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3:30 – 3:45 pm |
Low cost lunar missions at Purdue PMU North Ballroom Ali Bramson, Assistant Professor, EAPS |
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3:45 – 4:00 pm |
Low-temperature batteries for space applications PMU North Ballroom Vilas Pol, Professor, ChemE |
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4:00 – 4:15 pm |
(Space) Telescopes to study emerging Solar Systems PMU North Ballroom Merel van ’t Hoff, Assistant Professor, Physics & Astronomy |
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4:15 – 4:20 pm |
Break |
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4:20 – 5:00 pm |
Panel and Audience Q&A with Astronaut Drew Feustel PMU South Ballroom Moderator: Michelle Thompson, Associate Professor, EAPS |
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5:00 – 6:00 pm |
Advancing Space Exploration Poster Session and Social Hour PMU South Ballroom
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Speakers for the 2026 Advancing Space Exploration include:
George Pollock - The principal director of the Architecture and Design Subdivision in the Systems Engineering Division at The Aerospace Corporation, where he leads a nationwide team of systems engineers and system architects supporting national security, civil, and commercial space missions. Pollock is also responsible for innovation that enables enterprise mission success, enterprise integration, and new operating models for Aerospace customers.
Rob Lillis - A planetary space physicist and geophysicist at UC Berkeley Space Sciences Lab specializing in four main areas: 1) solar energetic particles and their effects on planetary environments, 2) electrodynamics of planetary ionospheres, 3) remote sensing of crustal magnetism and 4) the physics of atmospheric escape and climate evolution. Lillis has studied several planets but Mars is his primary focus. His research approach is broad, encompassing data analysis, modeling and both instrumentation and mission development. Lillis is the Principal Investigator for the ESCAPADE twin spacecraft Mars mission (launching Fall 2025), as well as being involved in two operational Mars missions: MAVEN (NASA) and the Emirates Mars Mission (UCB PI).
Brian Joyal - The CEO of Veridiam, Inc., a strategic U.S. manufacturer supplying critical components to the Aerospace, Nuclear Power, and Space sectors. Prior to Veridiam, Brian was the Director of Global Business Development for the Foam Partner Group based in Wolfhausen, Switzerland and prior to that that he was with Aearo Technologies, a 3M company, for seventeen years where he was the Director of the Aerospace and Defense business focused on delivering acoustic, thermal, shock, and vibration solutions for platforms ranging from the Gulfstream G650 to the military systems like the Navy IMU and M1A1 Abrams. Brian is currently deeply involved in national space infrastructure initiatives, serving as a technical advisor to NASA’s Resilient Extraterrestrial Habitat (RETH) institute based here at Purdue. He also has been the Logistics Task Force Leader for the AIAA Cislunar initiative and contributes to the COSMIC consortium’s efforts on In-Space Manufacturing and NASA’s Moon-to-Mars architecture. Brian has emerged as a leading figure in the advancement of in-space infrastructure, operations, and manufacturing, contributing to both the present and future capabilities of U.S. space efforts.
Andrew J. Feustel - A veteran NASA Astronaut with 23 years of experience, most recently as NASA’s acting Chief Astronaut. He is currently a human spaceflight advisor with Vast. Prior to being acting Chief Astronaut, he served as the Deputy Chief of the Astronaut Office from 2020 to 2022. His spaceflight experience includes three space missions. In 2011, he flew on the penultimate Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS) and the final flight of the Space Shuttle Endeavour, STS-134. In 2009, he flew on the STS-125 Hubble Space Telescope repair mission. Most recently, in 2018, he flew on a Russian Soyuz rocket to the ISS, serving as Commander during Expedition 56 on a 197 day mission. Dr. Feustel holds a Ph.D. from Queen’s University specializing in Seismology. He also holds a Master of Science in Geophysics and a Bachelor of Science in Solid Earth Sciences from Purdue University, and an Associate Science degree from Oakland Community College.
Lodging:
Purdue West Lafayette is very walkable, and the Union Club Hotel in the Purdue Memorial Union is a convenient on-campus location for overnight visitors.
There are a variety of other lodging options in the Greater Lafayette area — some within walking distance. Visit Lafayette-West Lafayette is a great resource to locate nearby hotels, campgrounds and vacation rentals to fit your needs.
Learn more about the event. Contact us.
Brought to you by:
Purdue University College of Science
A huge thank you to our 2026 sponsors who have made this event possible
Platinum Sponsors:
VeridiamGold Sponsors:
Silver Sponsors:
Bronze Sponsors:
2025 Event Recap
2025 Event Recap
In 2025, the College of Science in combination with the College of Engineering held the first of many collaborative conventions at Purdue University to help the world boldly explore the vast universe around us. We call "dibs" in being the first to go, and we plan to stay the course. At Purdue, we'd like to play a part in every mission. The Advancing Space Exploration at Purdue convention was set up to help faculty and staff collaborate on our next giant leaps.