Join us for drinks and canapés at the 2025 Air and Space Careers Night on Friday 24^th January from 18.00 - 20.00 in the River Room, King's Building.

Hosted by the Freeman Air & Space Institute (FASI), this annual event will convene air and space professionals – many of whom are King’s alumni – and students from across the university in a speed networking format.

Through direct and intimate conversations with industry heavy weights, military commanders, media commentators, thought leaders and many more, you will have the opportunity to discover and pursue diverse careers in air and space.

Our experts will be on hand to meet, discuss, evaluate and provide awareness around the large scope of opportunities across the industry. 

This is your chance to get tailored and candid advice from those in the know.

Book your place here: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/freemanairandspaceinstitute/1453166

Meet the experts...

Dr Sophy Antrobus – Research Fellow at the Freeman Air and Space Institute, KCL
Dr Sophy Antrobus researches contemporary air power in the context of the context of the institutional, cultural and organisational barriers to innovation and effectiveness in modern air forces, in particular the Royal Air Force. Prior to her PhD, Sophy served in the Royal Air Force for twenty years including in Iraq and Afghanistan and a tour with the Royal Navy. She is a Fellow and elected member of the Council of the Royal Aeronautical Society, a Hudson Fellow with the Royal Navy Strategic Studies Centre and a member of the Royal Air Force Museum Research Advisory Board.

Maggie Appleton – CEO of the Royal Air Force Museum
Maggie Appleton, MBE, has been CEO of the RAF Museum since 2015. Maggie has a Master’s degree in Heritage Management and was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Middlesex in 2019. Maggie is a past President of the UK’s Museums Association, a previous Co-Chair of the Women Leaders in Museums Network, and is currently a judge for the Museums+Heritage Awards. She is the environmental lead for the National Museum Directors Council. As of 2024, Maggie is also a Visiting Professor within SSPP as KCL.

Professor Yang Gao – Professor of Robotics, Head of Centre for Robotics Research, KCL
As well as leading the Centre for Robotics Research at King’s, Professor Yang Gao is the Editor-in-Chief of Wiley’s Journal of Field Robotics, the Co-Chair of IEEE Robotics & Automation Society’s Technical Committee on Space Robotics, and the Mentor of the United Nations’ Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) Space4Women program. She is also actively involved in design and development of real-world space missions such as ESA ExoMars, Proba3 and VMMO (lunar ice mapper), UK's CLEAR, MoonLITE and Moonraker, and CNSA Chang'E3. Previously, Yang founded the multi-award-winning STAR LAB at the University of Surrey, and has also been the Principal Investigator of projects funded by European Space Agency (ESA), UK Space Agency, UK Research Innovation, Royal Academy of Engineering, European Commission, as well as industries.

Dr Sarah-Louise Miller - Lecturer in Defence Studies, KCL
Dr Sarah-Louise Miller’s research focuses on warfare in the twentieth century, particularly the Second World War. Sarah is currently a visiting scholar at the University of Oxford’s Faculty of History, and a member of Kellogg College, Oxford. Sarah is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, a member of the Royal Aeronautical Society, and is an Associate of both the Laughton Naval History and Maritime Strategy Unit and FASI. Sarah most recently published Women in Allied Naval Intelligence in the Second World War: A Close Secret with Bloomsbury Academic (November 2024), based on her PhD thesis.

Dr Linus Terhorst – Research Analyst, Defence, Industries & Society Programme, RUSI
Dr Linus Terhorst is a Research Analyst working on defence procurement and industrial strategy questions and innovation management in defence. Linus previously completed his PhD at King’s in Defence Studies, focusing on German procurement policy formulation processes. He also taught various causes at the Defence Academy and worked as Research Associate for FASI. During his doctoral studies, he was a Fellow of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung’s doctoral college on security and development in the 21st century.

Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston KCB CBE
Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston completed a four-year term as Chief of the Air Staff in June 2023, during which he led the Service through the pandemic and over a period when the Royal Air Force has been more engaged and busier than at any time in a generation: protecting the UK’s skies and space; the air evacuations from Kabul and Sudan; the continuing fight against violent extremists in Iraq and Syria; bolstering NATO, and supporting Ukraine, in the face of Russian aggression. Sir Mike is now a Visiting Professor with FASI.

Dr Keith Dear – Managing Director of Fujitsu’s Centre for Cognitive and Advanced Technologies
Dr Keith Dear is a Global Fujitsu Distinguished Engineer, as well as MD for the Centre for Cognitive and Advanced Technologies. He is also a Fellow of RUSI, a Fellow of the Changing Character of War Programme at the University of Oxford, and a Director’s Fellow at Cambridge University’s Judge Business School. Previously, Keith has been a Royal Air Force Intelligence Officer and an Expert Advisor to the Prime Minister on Science, Technology, Space and Modernising Defence. He holds a DPhil in Experimental Psychology from the University of Oxford, an Executive MBA from the University of Cambridge, AN MA from KCL and a BA (Hons) from Lancaster.

Chris Carter – Analyst – Space Policy, RAND Europe
Working within the Science and Emerging Technology team, his focus is space policy. He specialises in quantitative data analysis and data visualisation, and in UK and U.S. space policy. Chris has a strong multidisciplinary academic background, holding an M.S. in science, technology, and environmental policy from the University of Minnesota and an M.Sci. in geophysics from Imperial College London.

Allen Antrobus – Managing Consultant, PA Consulting
Allen Antrobus has had an extensive career in the space sector, previously working as Director Strategy for Air and Space at Serco, as well as Director Military Space for Airbus Defence and Space. Allen was also previously a regular officer in the RAF for over 20 years, after which he worked for the UK Space Agency running a large EU Space Surveillance and Tracking programme. Allen is a Visiting Fellow at Plymouth University and remains an RAF Auxiliary Officer with 600 (City of London) Squadron. He also chairs the Security and Defence Committee at UKspace.

Air Commodore Patrick Shea-Simonds OBE MA FRAeS FIKE RAF - Head of Capability Futures
Air Commodore Patrick Shea-Simonds was initially commissioned into the Royal Anglian Regiment (1st and 3rd Battalion) following graduation from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. After regimental duty and operational tours in the Army in Germany, UK, Northern Ireland and Bosnia he transferred to the Royal Air Force, joining the RAF Regiment in 1997. Patrick also served as the Personal Staff Officer to the Assistant Chief of the Air Staff, and completed two tours in the Directorate of Air Resources and Plans in the MOD, and tours of HQ Air Command at DACOS Strategy and DACOS Force Protection Commitments. He also completed a tour as Deputy Head of the RAF Rapid Capabilities Office exploring areas of innovation and future technology.

If you have any questions, please contact FASI@kcl.ac.uk. We look forward to seeing you there!

Based in the School of Security Studies, the Freeman Air and Space Institute is an interdisciplinary initiative dedicated to generating an understanding of air and space power affairs in defence and security. To keep informed about the latest research, opportunities and events from FASI, subscribe to their mailing list.