John E Ward Email & Phone Number

County Wicklow, Ireland

Responsible for the strategic R&D developments across the whole technical stack in Spire. Specifically, driving long-term technology development, enabling future success and competitive advantages.

County Dublin, Ireland

Delivered contract deliverables through the full product cycle from concept to proposal, design, test, and delivery of launcher and satellite avionics systemsAs Project manager and Systems Engineer, ensured the on-time delivery against contract payment milestones of multiple launcher and satellite avionics systems, organizing and leading technical teams, qualification test campaigns, product deliveries (hardware and software), documentation data-packs, customer Co-Engineering meetings and milestone reviews Industry Mentor for Irish Research Council Industrial PhD student researching Machine Learning space applications

County Dublin, Ireland

Barcelona Area, Spain

Matured the first prototype commercial use-case of the Aistechsat-2 Machine-To-Machine (M2M) communication system, undertaking schedule, task, and data management, client interaction, and future product and business developmentDeveloped several business opportunities through market-segmentation studies, customer relationship management, competitor analyses, target client research and communication, face-to-face client meetings with company presentations and needs clarifications

Barcelona Area, Spain

Verified all Aistechsat-2 nanosatellite environmental requirements for on-time acceptance and delivery to launcher, achieved through an environmental test campaign with detailed test plans and procedures, facility selection, test participation and report preparation

Barcelona Area, Spain

Generated new scientific results through analyses of observations of various astrophysical objects. This involved instrument calibration, data reduction and signal detection, plotting, scientific interpretation, and publication writing Developed and field-tested an innovative photosensor for Cherenkov radiation via a competitive EU grant. Managed the project from concept through to deployment including design and simulation, manufacture, laboratory characterisation and field testing of a cluster of sensors installed in a Cherenkov telescopeCollected >45 days of observations with the MAGIC Cherenkov telescopes in La Palma, leading several successful observational shifts with responsibility for the running and safety of telescopes and staff

Barcelona Area, Spain

Developed a data management and instrument response framework (C++) for an international gamma-ray observatory (CTA) - a key component of a Technical Design Review.

Mcdonnell Center For The Space Sciences

Project managed the on-time delivery and commissioning of four mission-critical scintillating fiber particle trackers for the SuperTIGER cosmic-ray experimentVerified on schedule the performance of several payload electronics sub-systems and mechanical structures through rigorous testing (functionality, thermal/vacuum testing, burn-in etc.) Ensured the experiment was launched on-time and performed per specifications by assembling and testing the full detector stack electronics, thermal enclosure, power, and communications sub-systems across various locations (NASA GSFC, CSBF, and Glenn facilities, Antarctica)

Washington D.C. Metro Area

Systems integration of the SuperTIGER experiment

Delivered the analysis and interpretation of several hundred hours of observations from a survey of the Cygnus region of the galactic plane in a search for new sources of very-high‐energy gamma raysEstablished and maintained experiment performance through alignment of the telescope mirror systems, optical Point Spread Function and telescope pointing monitoring, single photoelectron calibration measurements, fabrication of light guidesEnsured continuous and safe scientific observations with the Whipple 10-meter Cherenkov telescope and VERITAS Cherenkov array through numerous solo and team operator shifts

Improved and refurbished components of the TRACER experiment after its 2003 balloon flight in Antarctica including responsibility for the design, construction and commissioning of a new Xenon/Argon gas supply systemSupported a successful TRACER data-collection flight from the ESRANGE Space Centre in the Swedish Arctic including mechanical engineering support for the instrument exoskeleton and thermal package and post-launch monitoring

Phd, Astrophysics

Thesis Title: "VERITAS survey of the Cygnus Region of the Galactic Plane"

Bachelor Of Science (B.Sc.), Physics With Astrophysics, First Class Honours