IAF names RSESC researcher Hambloch a Young Space Leader

Patrick Hambloch is a 2017 International Astronautical Federation Young Space Leader.

Michael Mercier | UAH

A research engineer at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) Rotorcraft Systems Engineering and Simulation Center (RSESC) has been named a Young Space Leader by the International Astronautical Federation (IAF).

Patrick Hambloch will receive the award in September at the 2017 International Astronautical Congress in Adelaide, Australia.

"As I am very involved in the IAF and other space activities, I felt extremely honored when I found out about the Young Space Leader recognition, as it rewards my work for the IAF as well as for my professional career in space over the last decade," he says. "I am very thankful for UAH supporting me in this, and especially to Dave Cook, who nominated me for the Young Space Leaders award."

Young Space Leaders are recognized as exceptional young professionals who demonstrate leadership in their academic and professional careers.

"For me, it will be the ninth time in 10 years to attend the congress, which is organized by the IAF and takes place in a different country each fall," says Hambloch. "Within the IAF, I currently serve as vice-chair of the Workforce Development/Young Professional Programme Committee and also as a member of the Knowledge Management Technical Committee."

UAH has been an IAF member since 2010.

"Personally, I am also more than thankful for UAH's involvement in the IAF activities. I met my wife at the IAC in 2012 in Naples when she and I participated in a panel discussion," Hambloch says. "She was a graduate student at UAH at the time and was attending the conference to present her research. The space industry is definitely a small world."

A native of Meerbusch, Germany, before moving to the United States Hambloch worked for the German Aerospace Center in Cologne on International Space Station payload operations. He joined UAH about two years ago.

"My academic background is in electrical and systems engineering and my master of science degree in Space Systems Engineering is from TU Delft," Hambloch says. "Here at UAH, I am working full-time at the RSESC. In that capacity, I work on a couple different projects that include research projects for NASA on the International Space Station, system engineering work on an aircraft power supply and work on the domain of model based systems engineering."

He says his IAF committee work is rewarding.

"Within the young professional committee, we are organizing a dedicated program for the next generation of space professionals, specifically to make the most of their experience at the congress and help them network and provide opportunities for face time with senior professionals from space agencies and companies," Hambloch says.

"On the technical committees, we organize the actual content of the congress, review papers and chair the technical sessions. I have been involved with the Knowledge Management committee since 2007 and I have recently initiated a working group on model based systems engineering, to advance this topic in the space industry."

Based in Paris, the IAF is made up of more than 300 space agencies, companies, universities, professional associations, government organizations and learned societies. The organization works to establish a dialogue between scientists around the world and to establish an information basis for international space cooperation.