PhD candidate in Aerospace Engineering

I am an Italian engineer, currently enrolled in the XXXVIII Cycle of Politecnico di Bari PhD Programme in engineering and aerospace sciences, with a grant co-funded by Astradyne s.r.l.

I obtained a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering at Polytechnic University of Bari, and a Master’s degree with honors in Mechatronic Engineering at Polytechnic University of Turin. In my studies, I learned to mix many different subjects, from mechanics to electronics, with a predilection for aerospace applications. I consider myself a curious person, I always ask myself the reasoning behind things and put in discussion my point of view.

As you can imagine, Wall-e was my favourite Disney movie growing up…

My education

• Space Studies Program 2024

  International Space University - co-hosted by NASA and Rice University (June 2024 to August 2024)

• Visiting researcher

  Stony Brook University (Ongoing since January 2022)

• Ph.D., Engineering and Aerospace Sciences

  Polytechnic University of Bari (Ongoing since November 2022)

• M.S., Mechatronic Engineering

  Final grade: With honors

  Polytechnic University of Turin (September 2020 to October 2022)

• Undergrad researcher

  National Technical University of Athens (February 2022 to August 2022)

• B.S., Mechanical Engineering

  Final grade: 108/110

  Polytechnic University of Bari (September 2017 to July 2020)

Skills: Space sciences, Space deployable structures, MATLAB, Finite element modelling, Control theory, Mechatronics, Problem solving

Work Experience

Research And Development Engineer @ Astradyne (September 2022 - Present)

• Responsible for research on origami-inspired deployable solar panels for space solar arrays as part of my PhD studies, developing innovative designs and testing their structural performance through numerical simulations
• Presented the proprietary patented technology in several international events and conferences
• Actively collaborating with a multidisciplinary team of engineers and scientists to advance and contribute to the development of next-gen space technologies.
• Active role in the business and management aspects of the company, helping to identify new market opportunities

Teaching Assistant @ Polytechnic University of Bari (February 2023 - June 2023)

• Teaching assistant for the course “Laboratorio di Progettazione e Produzione Industriale Digitale”, course held in the Bachelor’s Degree of Aerospace Engineering.

Tutor @ Polytechnic University of Turin (October 2021 - March 2022)

• Tutored students in laboratory activities for the Automatic Control course at Politecnico di Torino, providing hands-on support and guidance during in-person lab sessions.
• Facilitated students’ understanding of complex concepts and techniques, and helped them apply this knowledge to solve exercises and real-world problems.
• Emphasized the importance of teamwork, communication, and problem-solving skills, and provided personalized assistance to help students overcome challenges and achieve their learning goals.
• Gained valuable teaching and mentoring experience, and developed a strong understanding of how to effectively communicate complex technical concepts to a diverse audience.

Intern @ Anty Levantagri (February 2020 - June 2020)

• Completed internship and thesis at Anty SRL, conducting finite element analysis of a prototype machine using Solidworks.
• Gained hands-on experience in FEM analysis and prototype development in the metalworking industry

Team member @ PoliBa Corse (October 2018 - June 2019)

• Member of Vehicle Dynamics division in Polytechnic University of Bari Formula Student team.
• Gained experience in team work environment and learned the basics of 3D modeling using Catia software by Dassault Systèmes.

Welcomer @ Borgo Egnazia (Summer of 2017 and 2018)

• During my university studies, I consistently sought opportunities to gain practical work experiences and financial independence. In the summers of 2017 and 2018, I was privileged to serve as a Guest Welcomer at Borgo Egnazia, a prestigious 5-star resort nestled in the heart of Fasano, Apulia Region. This role provided me with invaluable insights and experiences, especially in a beacon of global excellence in the Apulia region. Over the years Borgo Egnazia has hosted many prestigious events, among them there is also the G7 in 2024.

Space-related activities

Mentoring Team Co-Lead at Space Generation Advisory Council

• I’ve been passionate about space for many many years, but before starting the PhD it looked like a field very difficult to approach, especially in my region (southern Italy) and without a space-focused academical background. After beginning my PhD a new world opened up in front of me. The space sector needs interdisciplinarity and talents, now more than ever. That is why, after discovering the amazing work carried out by the Space Generation Advisory Council for young space enthusiasts, I tried to give my small contribute in supporting students and young professionals that need guidance for their own path. That’s exactly the objective of the Mentoring Committee. We match students and young graduates with senior professionals with years of expertise in the space sector, so that they can connect and enrich each other’s life.

Conferences

• I had the pleasure of attending several space-related conferences in these years, during which I learnt many new things and met several amazing people

• European Space Generation Workshop

  Bari, Italy

  Delegate in the Space Weather WG

• Spring school on space commercialisation

  Bari, Italy

  PhD student partecipant

• Global Space Economic Workshop

  Mesagne, Italy

  Representing Astradyne

• International Conference on Space Exploration

  Turin, Italy

  PhD student partecipant

• ASME SSDM 2023

  San Diego, California

  PhD student partecipant

• AIDAA XXVII IC

  Padua, Italy

  PhD student partecipant

• ESPC 2023

  Elche, Spain

  Representing Astradyne

• A&D Meetings

  Turin, Italy

  Representing Astradyne

• Italian Innovation days

  Tokyo, Italy

  Representing Astradyne

In this picture, I had the honor of meeting and speaking with Franco Malerba, the first Astronaut in italian history, truly a beautiful person.

Publications

1. Troise, A. et al. (2023). Variable orifice damper implementation for seismic semi-active control of civil structures. Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Computational Methods in Structural Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering, DOI
2. Buscicchio, A. et al. “Fret (flexible reinforced electronics with textile): A novel technology enabler for deployable origami-inspired lightweight aerospace structures.” AIAA SCITECH 2023 Forum. 2023, DOI
3. Buscicchio, Alessandro, et al. “SolarCube: An Origami-Inspired Lightweight Deployable Solar Panel for Nanosatellites.” 2023 13th European Space Power Conference (ESPC). IEEE, 2023, DOI
4. Troise, A., et al. “Reduced-order modelling of the deployment of a modified flasher origami for aerospace applications.” Materials Research Proceedings 37 (2023), DOI

Outside of work

Golf

• This typically sounds weird to many people from my region, but I have spent a lot of time playing golf in my life. As my father was deeply passionate towards this sport, I followed his steps and I took part in several national and international championships. I have also been Apulian regional champion in 2014 and 2015. Playing a sport at high level gave me the opportunity to be in high-pressure situations, where every move you make puts the overall result at stake. It’s been a while since I last competed agonistically, but golf taught me so much during my teenage years. Hopefully I will start to play again someday.

Volunteering

• I’ve donated blood regularly since high school, it is just one of those things that make me feel better with myself. I attended several medical fundraising events organised by my local Lions International district. I also organised a scientific divulgation event talking about space economy and space environmental footprint LinkedIn. I aim to give back to my community, and I will try to do it more and more in the incoming years.

Drawings

• Sometimes I draw stuff, I’m not good, I typically do it only to express emotions. I love Escher and his works, the spiral-y thing is actually one of his works, it is my profile picture in many social media. The spiral represents the Uroboro, a symbol of eternal return, for me it is the symbol of committment towards the continuous improvement of myself.

My GofundMe

• I organised a GoFundMe to raise money to attend a summer school by the International Space University hosted by Nasa Houston Center, it was a total success.
• Corriere della sera

My links

• Linkedin
• ResearchGate
• Orcid
• Instagram

• Facebook

  You can reach me through LinkedIn