We were thrilled to welcome alumnus Dr Ashitey Trebi-Ollennu, Principal Robotics Engineer at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, back to our Mile End campus for our fourth instalment of ‘Alumni Angles’ on Wednesday 16 November.
Dr Ashitey Trebi-Ollennu speaking to guests on the Mile End campus
This special event, which was held in collaboration with the School of Engineering and Materials Science, saw almost 100 students, staff, alumni and friends join us for a presentation during which Dr Ashitey Trebi-Ollennu reflected on his 20-year career at NASA, and particularly his role in the delivery of Mars Rover missions. Having graduated with a BEng in Avionics in 1991, Dr Trebi-Ollennu accredited his time at Queen Mary with much of his success and said he continues to draw upon his studies and the skills he gained as an undergraduate. Earlier on in the afternoon, Dr Trebi-Ollennu was taken on a tour of the School of Engineering and Materials Sciences by Dr Ketao Zhang, Lecturer in Robotics, who organised for him to meet with researchers in the Robotics and Aeronautical Engineering labs.
More information
Find out more about our guest speaker Dr Ashitey Trebi-Ollennu FIET, FRAeS, FGA, SMIEE graduated with a BEng in Avionics in 1991. He is Principal Robotics Engineer, Deputy Chief Engineer, and Assistant Division Manager of the Autonomous Systems Division 34, at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology where he has been at the forefront of space robotics systems, including autonomous manipulation, artificial intelligence (AI), human-robot interfaces, planetary rover operations, system of system design, flight systems integration and test, and space robotics mission concepts. He served as the Chief Engineer for the Mobility and Robotic Systems section from 2017 to 2020, Product Delivery Manager for the InSight Mars Mission Instrument Deployment System, and InSight Mars Mission Instrument Deployment System Operations Team Chief. Dr Trebi-Ollennu's work has resulted in over 100 peer-reviewed publications and his accomplishments have been recognised through numerous awards, documentary movies, and articles, including the Royal Aeronautical Society, UK Silver Medal 2020 and the NASA Exceptional Public Achievement Medal 2019 for his contribution to the InSight Mars Lander Mission, the NASA Exceptional Engineering Achievement Medal 2008 for his role in the Mars Exploration Rover mission, and the Sir Monty Finniston Achievement Medal 2007 from the Institution of Engineering and Technology, UK. In addition, Dr Trebi-Ollennu has received over two dozen NASA Group Achievement awards. He is also the founder of the Ghana Robotics Academy Foundation (GRAF), which won the Google RISE Award in 2013, and seeks to inspire Ghanaians’ interest and participation in science and technology careers. Find out more about Alumni Angles Our Alumni Angles series aims to highlight topical subjects that are of wide-interest and relevant to Queen Mary’s research and teaching by showcasing the talent within our alumni body. The series seeks to bring together our community of alumni, staff, students, and supporters.