Dr. Rodrigo Leonardi
Director Brazilian Space Agency (AEB). Brasilia, Brazil.
Dr. Rodrigo Leonardi graduated in mathematics from the University of Brasilia in 1999 and completed his Ph.D. in astrophysics at the Brazilian National Institute for Space Research (INPE) in 2006. He subsequently carried out postdoctoral research at the Department of Physics at the University of California in Santa Barbara (UCSB), United States, during the period between 2007 and 2009. Currently, Dr. Leonardi holds the position of director of the Brazilian Space Agency (AEB) and played a leading role in the working group that prepared the current edition of the Brazilian Program of Space Activities 2022-2031. During his career at the AEB, he assumed responsibilities as Research, Development, and Innovation Coordinator from 2017 to 2020, as well as Satellite and Applications Coordinator from 2020 to 2023. He has collaborated on various initiatives and projects at a national and international level, working closely in collaboration with the academic community, industry, and government. Additionally, he is a co-author of 160 articles published in peer-reviewed scientific journals. He has received international recognition for his contribution to the Planck mission, including the prestigious Gruber Prize for Cosmology and three awards from NASA. He has also played an active role in the organization of several national and international events of relevance in the space field.