Staff

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Audrey Medaino-Tardif (she/her)
Primary Section Contact

Audrey is a second-year graduate student at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Information with courses focused on data sciences, critical information policy and information management. Her natural curiosity and intellectual questions have led her to pursue a thesis on the privatization of space from a Canadian perspective. It is her background in history, communications, and IT that has led her down a multidisciplinary path, specializing in the geopolitical, architectural, and commercial confluence of borderlands (oceans, atmosphere, cyberspace and outer space). In 2023, she had the opportunity to attend Luxembourg’s Space Resource Week, earning a professional course certification on Space Resources (Lunar resources) organized by the Colorado School of Mine, the ISS and ESRIC, which only further sparked her interest in astrostudies. 

Unrelated to her education path, she has a wacky background as an entrepreneur and administrator of a restaurant and an electronic music festival for the last ten years. She also ran for the Groulx riding in the 2022 Quebec Provincial elections. Volunteering and organizing is, thus, very much a part of her career and educational journeys!

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Simran Bhaskar (she/her)

Simran is a second-year Biomedical Sciences student at Toronto Metropolitan University. She has always loved space and learning more about the universe! At SEDS, she hopes to encourage students to follow their passion!

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Simeon Chalamanov (he/him)

Simeon is a third-year Aerospace Engineering student at Toronto Metropolitan University. He is the Business and Structural Aerodynamic Lead on the Toronto Met Formula Racing design team, which previously competed with its first electric car in 2022. Simeon has always been fascinated by space, interplanetary exploration and the possibility of intelligent extraterrestrial life. He hopes to help SEDS inspire many students to pursue a career in the space industry.

Lianne Choong (she/her)

Canadian Space Conference Gala Lead lianne.choong@seds.ca

Lianne is a third-year Mechanical Engineering student at the University of Toronto. She is the gala co-lead for the Canadian Space Conference, making sure the gala runs smoothly. Outside of SEDS, she is the Airframe lead for the University of Toronto Aerospace Space Rocketry design team, where she works on designing and developing new fabrication techniques of composites. She is passionate about the applications of mechatronics within the space industry and looks forward to collaborate with individuals who share a similar passion.

Madelline De La Cruz Martinez (she/her)

Canadian Space Conference Gala Lead madelline.delacruzmartinez@seds.ca

Madelline, a first-year Business Administration student at ILAC International College, is not only an Electrical Engineer but also an Industrial Electronics Technician with valuable experience in both fields. Her journey is as inspiring as it is unique.

The driving force behind her decision to join SEDS Canada is her ambitious dream—to become the first Dominican woman to venture into space. This dream is deeply rooted in her passion for engineering, a field she chose to pursue with the intention of breaking barriers and paving the way for other women.

Madelline’s motivation extends beyond personal achievement; she aspires to be a guiding light for aspiring women in the industry. Her goal is to demonstrate that there are no limits when you have someone to navigate the challenges with you. In choosing this path, she not only aims to reach new heights but also to inspire and empower others to follow their dreams, regardless of the obstacles they may encounter. Madelline’s journey is not just about reaching the stars—it’s about creating a brighter future for women in engineering.

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Dylan Fernandes (he/him)

Dylan received a Bachelor’s of Mechanical Engineering (with a Mechatronics specialization) from Toronto Metropolitan University in 2021. He is currently looking to transition into mechatronics-based roles within the space industry.

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Anamta Kari (she/her)

Anamta has a Bachelor’s degree in Communications Design with a major in Graphic Design. She is currently pursuing a diploma in User Exprerience Design from York University. Her passion lies in visual and UX design. She strives to create captivating and meaningful designs that leave a lasting impact. She believes that a design should not only look great but also provide a seamless and intuitive user experience. By conducting thorough research, empathizing with users, and employing user-centered design principles, she ensures that her designs not only engage users but also fulfill their needs and goals. In her free time, Anamta loves to play tennis and explore beaches. 

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Mya McKinnon (she/her)

Mya is a first-year undergraduate student at Brock University studying Earth & Planetary Science Communications. Mya holds the title Miss Teenage Saskatchewan 2022 and was the 2nd runner-up of the Miss Teenage Canada competition. In 2022, Mya trained like an astronaut at the Advanced Space Academy in Huntsville, Alabama where her astronomical dreams lifted off. This summer she is interning at Cameco Corporation in Saskatoon as a geophysical research and exploration assistant, along with working on the side as a model and private math tutor. Her passion for space, teaching, and content creation contributes to why she loves volunteering at SEDS-Canada!
 
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Hasaan Mohsin (he/him)

Hasaan is a third-year Astrophysics student at the University of Toronto, born in Pakistan and raised in Saudi Arabia. He is passionate about unraveling the mysteries of the universe, particularly celestial objects and distant galaxies. Alongside his studies, Hasaan engages in hobbies such as learning languages and immersing himself in different cultures. His leadership skills were honed as a Symposium Director with ASX and as the President of his college residence. Motivated by his love for space exploration and a desire to contribute to the Canadian space industry, Hasaan joined SEDS Canada. He looks forward to applying his astrophysics knowledge and leadership experience to inspire future space enthusiasts and professionals. In his free time, Hasaan enjoys playing football, a sport that teaches teamwork and perseverance. With his diverse background, academic excellence, and dedication, Hasaan is a valuable asset to SEDS Canada in advancing space exploration.

NASA Space Apps

Jake Birkness (he/him) | NASA Space Apps National Coordinator | Primary Section Contact jake.birkness@seds.ca

Jake is a fourth-year Aerospace Engineering student at Carleton University specializing in Space Systems Design. He is currently on co-op as an Opto-Mechanical Engineering Intern at MPB Communications Inc. in Pointe-Claire, Quebec, working on a variety of research and development projects. Jake is responsible for overseeing all Local Leads for Space Apps Hackathons happening across Canada, including Hamilton, Windsor, and Montreal! He joined SEDS-Canada because of his passion for space exploration and student leadership. He is always interested in meeting new people, so reach out to connect on LinkedIn or Instagram.

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Simran is a second-year Biomedical Sciences student at Toronto Metropolitan University. She has always loved space and learning more about the universe! At SEDS, she hopes to encourage students to follow their passion!

Mysha Hamid (she/her) | NASA Space Apps Graphics Designer | mysha.hamid@seds.ca

Mysha is a first-year Systems Design Engineering student at the University of Waterloo. She is the graphic designer for SEDS-Canada’s NASA Space Apps. Mysha loves anything and everything space related, hoping to pursue a career involving satellite systems or spacecraft design. She is very passionate about education and student leadership which is what inspires her to create change with organizations such as SEDS-Canada! In her free time she enjoys going on hikes and creating art.

Angela Tollis (she/her) | NASA Space Apps Regional Coordinator | angela.tollis@seds.ca

Angela Tollis is a fifth-year Mechanical Engineering and Society student at McMaster University who is actively pursuing a minor in Sustainability. She is very passionate about space and robotics and actively participates on various teams to exercise this. Outside of SEDS, Angela is currently an alum/mentor of her FIRST Robotics team, an organizer for the FIRST Robotics Girls and Allies Stemathon, is the mechanical co-lead on the McMaster Interdisciplinary Satellite Team (MIST), the Co-President of McMaster’s Engineering and Society Student Association (ESSA), a McMaster Engineering Welcome Week Organizational Committee Member, and a mentor through McMaster’s Women in Engineering (WIE) Society for incoming first-year female engineering students. Currently, Angela is on a 16-month internship at MDA as a Mechanical Engineering Intern on Canadarm3. Angela looks forward to collaborating with others in order to run a successful Hamilton NASA Space Apps competition and is happy to lend a hand on projects whenever possible!

CAN-ARX

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Ricky is currently a third-year Mechanical Engineering student at the University of Waterloo with an option in Management Sciences. He has strong passions involving the aerospace and energy sectors, with experience ranging from design, manufacturing, project management, and more! Ricky is currently with Waterloo Airlock as the Mechanical Lead, aiming to compete and build a feasible airlock for a Martian environment.

Through SEDS Canada, Ricky hopes to build and collaborate with other like-minded professionals, to further develop and enhance the technology of the future.

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Ahmad is a BSc Mathematics Major in his first-year of university at the Wilfrid Laurier University Waterloo Campus.

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Amanda is currently pursuing her PhD in Mechanical Engineering at Concordia University, where she had also founded the Space Health Division in 2019.

CAN-RGX

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Patrick holds a Bachelor’s of Applied Science in Applied Mathematics from Queen’s University. He is currently pursuing a Master’s of Applied Science in Mechanical Engineering at McMaster University, specializing in advanced manufacturing techniques for automotive and aerospace applications. His manufacturing experience has taken him through construction of a 3U CubeSat, high-precision measurement devices, and robotics systems. An alumnus of the CAN-RGX competition, Patrick will be be providing support throughout the campaign.

Alina Kunitskaya holds a BSc in Chemical Engineering from the University of Calgary and is currently a PhD student in Biomedical Engineering at the University of British Columbia. Her passion for solving space exploration challenges led to her involvement in developing a process to recycle astronauts’ fecal waste into 3D-printable bioplastics, developing and flying a scientific payload in microgravity as part of SEDS-Canada CAN-RGX project, developing an oxygen production process on Mars, and completing a simulated sub-orbital spaceflight to help scientists examine the physiological and psychological impacts of g-forces associated with spaceflight. She is excited to continue working with SEDS-Canada to provide students with hands-on opportunities in the Canadian space sector.

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Pundeep is a third-year student at the University of Alberta and is studying mechanical engineering. Passionate about everything space, Pundeep has shown a keen interest in human space exploration from a young age and is enthusiastic about helping develop the Canadian space sector. His passion and interests have led him to join the University of Alberta’s CubeSat team, AlbertaSat, where the team is developing three CubeSats: Ex-Alta 2, YukonSat, and AuroraSat as part of the Northern SPIRIT collaboration between the University of Alberta, Yukon University, and Aurora Research Institute. 

Pundeep hopes to bring his passion, experiences, and willingness to learn towards making CAN-RGX a success.

CAN-SBX

Andrew is a first-year master’s student in physics at Université Laval. His work consists on improving mid-infrared fiber laser sources, which have applications in remote gas sensing, telecommunications and biomedicine. Having been involved in the space sector through student groups during his degree, he looks forward to offering a similar chance to other students to launch their career in space by guiding them through hands-on, engaging and fun projects!

image of Ashley Ferreira

Ashley is in her third-year of the Physics and Astronomy co-op program at the University of Waterloo. She has completed three co-op terms working in particle physics, defence intelligence, and remote community renewable energy research. Ashley is currently completing her fourth co-op term at MDA working in space robotics, and is also working on a research project at the Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Center using neural networks to detect new Transneptunian objects using data from the NASA New Horizons spacecraft.

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Makenna is in her second-year of a mechanical engineering co-op degree at the University of Alberta, she hopes to continue learning new skills as well as apply them to the space industry. She is grateful to assist in the CAN-SBX challenge and work alongside the SEDS Canada team, on her free time she also works with the  mechanical team at AlbertaSAT. With a passion for space, she hopes to one day be exploring past the stars that she studies.

James received a bachelors of applied science in engineering chemistry at Queen’s University and is currently completing his masters of space studies at the International Space University. He has worked as an operations consultant across many industries and will be continuing his career as a space systems engineer later this year working on commercial CubeSat missions. James was the project manager for the CAN-SBX project and continues to provide knowledge and support to the staff and student teams participating in the competition.

Communications Team

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Adam is the Vice-President Communications and the Chief Technology Officer of SEDS Canada. He is responsible for SEDS-Canada’s communications strategy, online presence, and the application of software development & managed services for internal processes. He hopes to work on problems faced by organizations in the space industry by applying capabilities in process automation, user experience (UX) research, and software development. Outside of SEDS, he studies mathematics in his third year at the University of Toronto and has developed software for human rights groups. He continues to study French, Spanish, and Chinese dialects as a hobby.

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Emma is a second year undergraduate student at the University of Toronto, pursuing a specialization in Physics & Astrophysics. She is interested in quantum mechanics, dark matter and anti-matter, as well as scientific research within those fields. Her curiosity for space and physics inspired her to study astrophysics. At SEDS, she is a French translator and content writer, making space news and content accessible to Canadians in both of Canada’s official languages. She hopes to create connections in the space industry and inspire fellow students to pursue their passions!

Tirtho will be pursuing an undergraduate in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Polytechnique Montreal from 2023 onwards.

Asmi Gujral (she/her) | Technical Lead

asmi.gujral@seds.ca


Asmi is a second-year Mechatronics Engineering student at the University of Waterloo. She is a Web Developer for SEDS Canada, and is responsible for working with the Communications Team to design and implement user friendly, dynamic web pages. Asmi's personal interests in space began with the landing of the Perseverance Rover in February of 2021, and continue to develop through her extracurricular endeavors, such as participation within her university's cube satellite design team, UW Orbital, as well as continued work on the SEDS Canada team.
image of Kshemaka Gunawardena

Kshemaka is a third-year undergraduate Microbiology and Immunology student at the University of British Columbia. As a science communicator, he aspires to bridge the gap between exciting developments in Canadian space exploration and the general public’s understanding of them.

Taylor is a first-year engineering student at the University of Calgary, with the goal to major in mechanical engineering. She loves learning about space, science, and enjoys making digital art! Taylor is really excited to be a part of the SEDS team, and hopes to learn more about the space industry as well as share her passion for space with others.
 
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Elena is a high school senior within Victoria Park Collegiate Institute. As the Head Designer of the STEM organization PHYSICA, she gets to constantly be involved in youth-led science communication, which is incredibly cool! She hopes to begin within a Biophysics program soon, to continue studying fascinating concepts while applying them to her interest in space development.
 

Daphne Papadatos (she/her) | Video Producer daphne.papadatos@seds.ca​

Daphne is a second-year Aerospace Engineering student, specializing in Space Systems Design, at Carleton University. She is currently interning at the Canadian Space Agency, in the Space Technology department. This past summer 2023, she worked on the Stratospheric Balloon Campaign and helped her CSA team with the launch preparations, in Timmins, ON. Daphne loves soccer, she has been playing the sport since she was 4 years old, and even joined the CSA’s soccer team! Daphne aspires to work on a variety of space projects in the years to come and learn more about space as a whole, and the technologies we are creating to further its exploration. Throughout her space journey, she strives to meet more individuals who also geek out over any space topic imaginable (from extraterrestrial activity… to questioning the habitability of all kinds of cool planets in our galaxy!) She is eager to start her new journey with SEDS, as a Video Producer!!

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Obii is a student in her junior year of high school at Walter Murray Collegiate. Her main passions lie in astronomy, architecture, aviation, and writing, the latter in both English and French, and she is always looking for opportunities to expand her knowledge and experience in these fields. Aside from immersing herself in space and STEM-related content, Obii enjoys language learning and is currently studying standard German. As a French/English Translator for SEDS-Canada, Obii hopes to extend her talents in writing, into her work with SEDS-Canada, and help to create accessible space-related content for all students.
 

Maria graduated from the University of Victoria with a double major Bachelor’s degree in Physics and Astronomy. Her particular area of interest is in stellar evolution and spectroscopy, and she enjoys sharing her passion for observational astronomy with her community. She also actively pursues her creative ambitions in writing, harbouring a great fondness for poetry, classical literature, fantasy, and science fiction. She knows her role with the SEDS team will be a perfect fit as it is the confluence of her greatest passions, space exploration and writing. 

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Robel is a first-year Aerospace Engineering student at Toronto Metropolitan University. He is an Ambassador and Board-Member in the Youth Advisory Committee for CCVT. He is responsible for managing Mentorship Resources at SEDS-Canada. Robel is a space enthusiast and has always been passionate about engineering and the space industry. He hopes to help SEDS inspire space enthusiasts students and make useful contributions in the space sector.  

Ghali Kabbaj | Chapters Coordinator ghali.kabbaj@seds.ca

Ghali Kabbaj, an international student from Morocco, is currently in his third year of pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering at Université de Moncton. He is a space enthusiast with a strong interest in technology, coding, and making student life more enjoyable as an RA. Ghali is also the Chapters Coordinator at SEDS-Canada and is a former Conference President (ACES’ Engineering Leadership Summit). His fascination with space is driven by an insatiable curiosity and a profound love for exploration.

Professional photo of Manal Siddiqui

Manal is in her fourth-year of Computer Science at Carleton University. Her areas of focus as a developer revolve around space technology and machine learning. With a passion for operations, developing vision and technology, and finding creative solutions to solve challenges, she is excited to be a Mentorship Coordinator. Outside of work, she can usually be found either playing sports, gaming or planning her next adventure to try out something new! Manal is driven to change the atmosphere for Canadian women within the Space Industry and would hope to eventually work on developing antimatter propulsion and make it easier to integrate within rockets.

Human Resources

image of Matthew Magyar-Ng

Matthew holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Sciences and Health Sciences from Western University, and will be starting his studies in Medicine at the University of New England this year. His goal is to become a flight surgeon or to work as a physician with a research focus on how physiology changes during long term space flight. As Chief Recruiting Officer, he oversees day-to-day HR operations with an emphasis on finding the best students to hire for SEDS Canada staff. 

Daniel Olteanu | HR Manager daniel.olteanu@seds.ca

Daniel has a Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Sciences from The University of Western Ontario and is currently studying Medicine at the Micheal G. DeGroote School of Medicine. Astronomy has always been an interest of his and he hopes to further explore concepts in Space Medicine as the field becomes more prominent with the advent of interplanetary travel. Through his participation at SEDS, he hopes to increase awareness and interest in Space Medicine for many other students across Canada. 

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Cameron is a master’s student in computer science, second-year, at Brock University. His MSc topic is deep learning for drug development applied to Covid-19.

Rory Macdonald (he/him) | Discord Server Admin rory.macdonald@seds.ca

Rory is a second year computing and physics dual-degree student at Queen’s University. He is passionate about programming, space science, and connecting with his community. These passions are reflected by his roles at his university involved with the Queen’s Space Conference and the student government as a web designer and developer. At SEDS, Rory’s role is handling the day-to-day administration of the SEDS-Canada Discord Server.

YSpacE

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Agasthya is in a Level 2 Engineering Physics Undergraduate Degree at McMaster University. His education pursuits have been guided by a dream to push the limit of human capabilities and technology in space.

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Ahmad is a BSc Mathematics Major in his first-year of university at the Wilfrid Laurier University Waterloo Campus.

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