m.a.n.t.i.s LEADERSHIP
DR. MAE SETO
From:
Position: Principle Investigator
Education:
MISSION DIRECTOR
JOSHUA TYNES
From:
Position: Mission Director & EPS Lead
Education: BEng Electrical Engineering
SYSTEMS ENGINEERING
Xavi Ildefonso Mercado
From:
Position: Systems Engineering & MECH Lead
Education: BEng Mechanical Engineering, 1st year Masters in Autonomous Robotics
James Hillaby (va1 gas)
From: Calgary, Alberta
Position: Systems Engineering & COMMS Lead
Education: BSc, 5th year Electrical Engineering
SUBSYTEM LEADS
attitude determination and control system(ADCS)
PIYUSH BHATIA
COMUNICATIONS (COMMS)
ELIJAH LAWRIN (VY2 EHQ)
From: Chilliwack, British Columbia
Position: COMMS Lead In Training
Education: 2nd year Electrical Engineering
ELECTRICAL POWER SYSTEM I & II (EPS I & II)
JEAN-PHILIPPE FOURNIER
From: Halifax, Nova Scotia
Position: EPS Lead
Education: 3rd year Electrical Engineering
I chose to be an engineer, specifically electrical, from summer camps I used to do at Dalhousie with SuperNOVA on science and engineering as well as the ATLAS camp in 2021 which was about CubeSat satellites. These camps introduced me to engineering and science concepts I really enjoyed such as electricity, designing/building things, and creative thinking.
I joined DSS in Fall 2023, at the start of the M.A.N.T.I.S. project, because I was looking to join a design team, interested in the field due to the ATLAS camp and I remembered DSS from there too. After about a year, the previous team-lead for the EPS subsystem left and I became the new lead because I was very interested and involved in the project. Since then, I have been leading the EPS team in the research, development, and testing of solar panels, wiring, subsystem components, and more.
Outside of university, I do many activities such as Hockey, Scuba Diving, Photography and hanging out with friends!
PAYLOAD / OBC AI
MATT GENTLEMEN
From: Halifax, Nova Scotia
Position: Payload Lead
Education: 4th year Mechanical Engineering
I chose to become an engineer because I can't imagine myself doing anything else, I've always been a tinkerer and inspired by the jaw dropping feats of engineering in the world, ranging from staggering skyscrapers to my love for spaceflight.
I chose to join DSS and MANTIS because I knew people on the team and wanted to contribute to such a cool project. I became the lead of my subsystem because all of the other leads had graduated or otherwise, and I had a good understanding of optics.
Outside of school I enjoy watching sports, being with friends, and tinkering with my 3D printer.
Sthairya Karanam
From: Bangalore, India
Position: OBC AI Lead
Education: 4th year Computer Engineering
I chose computer engineering because I've always been drawn to the point where software and hardware meet, where code actually drives something physical. Growing up with a fascination for space, it felt like the most direct path toward contributing to that field. A space camp at Dal early on pushed me to find communities doing real work in the industry, which is how I found DSS and eventually MANTIS, a project that genuinely excites me given its focus on using technology to address climate concerns.
I grew into the OBC AI Lead role over time, starting as a general member and taking on more responsibility along the way. It's been a great learning experience, and I'm grateful for the opportunity.
Outside of school, I keep things pretty varied: gym, pool, Bharatanatyam, and whatever book has caught my attention lately.
command data and handling (cd&h)
Malik Arsenault Battikh
From: Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
Position: CD&H Lead in Training
Education: 2nd year Computer Engineering
Hi, my name is Malik and I'm an aspiring Computer Engineer at Dalhousie University.
I enjoy programming and just working on cool engineering projects in general. Although, judging by the amount of time I've spent creating memory leaks and debugging them at 3 a.m., you'd think that was my favorite pastime. Speaking of staring at pixel-sized specks in the middle of the night, I think space is one of the coolest things out there. Putting a satellite up with the stars and having it do something which I programmed it to do is definitely on my "cool things to-do" list.
On a more serious note, I am truly blessed to be in this position where I can contribute to my passion and hope that we as a team can keep pushing each other to do more than we ever thought possible. I'm super excited to move forward with the MANTIS mission and can't wait to see how far we end up taking each other by the end of it.
thermal
Jurian MacNeil
From: Kani, Japan in the Gifu Prefecture
Position: Thermal Lead
Education: 5th year Mechanical Engineering
After Nova Scotia after moving to Canada in 2011. I enrolled Mechanical Engineering as I have always considered myself analytically minded and keen to solve problems through creative and critical thinking. As an aspiring engineer, I find applying these skills to real-world challenges incredibly rewarding.
I joined DSS in late 2024 as a Chassis team member to further develop my skills in mechanical design and leave a mark on a real aerospace project. Several months after being involved with the M.A.N.T.I.S. CubeSat, I transitioned into the role of Thermal Co-Lead, drawn by not only the opportunity to take on greater responsibilities and ownership, but also by the unique challenges of ensuring the satellite's stable operation in the harsh environment of space.
Outside of school, I enjoy playing chess, hiking/spending time outdoors, working out at the gym, watching movies, and hanging out with friends. At Dalhousie, I have also been involved with DalFSAE and served on the executive team of the Dalhousie Mechanical Engineering Society.
Pete Christie
From: North Shore, Prince Edward Island
Position: Thermal Lead
Education: 3rd year Mechanical Engineering
As a child, my father would take me next to the runway to watch jets take off and land. Those experiences sparked my interest in engineering and set me on the path I follow today. With the space industry in Nova Scotia continuing to grow, I saw DSS and M.A.N.T.I.S. as a way to gain relevant experience that could lead to unique connections and opportunities in the field. I became a team lead for the thermal subsystem because it aligns with my interests and experiences in Computational Fluid Dynamics and simulation engineering. I wanted to apply those skills to modelling and analyzing spacecraft thermal behavior while contributing to such a vital team. Our experiments are also pretty cool.
Outside of school, I am an avid surfer; I also play on the lacrosse team here at Dalhousie.
OPERATIONS (OPS) - NEAR FUTURE
MATTEO LEO (VA1 BRZ)
From: Milton, Ontario
Position: OPS Lead In Training
Education: 2nd year Engineering