About Me
Nationality: Italian
Location: Reading (United Kingdom)
Languages: italian (native speaker), english (fluent), french (basic)
Summary: Hi, my name is Paolo and I’m a telecommunication engineer passionate about antennas and space. I am most skilled in Antenna Design for Small Satellite terminal, additionally, I’m also an IT enthusiast which enjoy the wonderful world of coding. I have previous experience working in a team in several academic/corporate environments.
Experience
Isotropic Systems
Reading, United Kingdom
https://www.isotropicsystems.com/Senior Antenna Engineer
December 2020 - Present
At Isotropic Systems I’m responsible of the design,analysis and test of RX/TX antenna feeds.
As Senior Antenna Engineer, during the design phase, I work closely with members from the lens team and active components team in order to find optimal solutions and guarantee continuous improvement of the overal product and system.
Each design proposal is optimized by using both conventional full wave electro-magnetic software and tools developed in-house (Matlab/Python based)
My effort at GomSpace was focused on the development of a k-band antenna for inter-satellite communications. The outcome of this project was a product fully compliant with mechanical, electrical, and thermal requirements therefore ready to be tested for fly in space. The realization of this goal involved a full-time commitment at GomSpace to better handle all the strict requirements (especially mechanical and thermal ones) and practical aspects that have to be fulfilled before the satellite is deployed in space.
Sicilsat Communications
Catania, Italy
http://www.sicilsat.com/Junior Antenna Engineer
January 2014 - January 2016
I worked at Sicilsat as a part-time antenna engineer during my master degree. In there I refined my theoretical knowledge about antennas and microwave components, as well as my knowledge in antenna measuring and testing.
Motorsquare
Catania, Italy
Co-Founder
December 2013 - December 2018
During my time at Motorsquare, I learned lots of key skills such as teamwork and project management. I use a lot of these skills to my advantage in my day to day work.
Temix
Catania, Italy
Internship
February 2013 - September 2013
I started my internship at Temix during the last part of my bachelor degree. There I had my first experience with software for full-wave electromagnetic simulation as well as my first experience working in a corporate environment.
Education
Aalborg University
Aalborg, Denmark
https://www.es.aau.dk/sections-labs/antennas-propagation-millimetre-wave-systems/
Assistant Researcher
June 2020 - November 2020
Ph.D. Fellow
June 2017 - May 2020
Guest Researcher
November 2016 - May 2017
Erasmus Student
February 2016 - June 2016
My experience at Aalborg University started during the final part of my master degree as an Erasmus student at the electronic systems department, more precisely at the Antennas, Propagation, and Millimetre-Wave Systems Section (APMS). The subsequent step was my Ph.D. in mm-waves antennas for small satellite communications.
Small satellites have drawn significant attention in the communication industry as miniaturization technologies make it feasible to build smaller satellites than those built a decade ago. The primary concern of traditional satellite communication systems is the high cost. To remain competitive in this emerging business area, small-satellites solutions must meet flexible customer requirements, e.g. multi-frequency bands and data rates, inter-satellite links) in a cost-effective way. However, using currently available low-frequency radio technologies will result in some limitations like design with too large antennas and circuit power consumptions that are not compatible with the “Smallsat” approach. Millimeter-wave and beam steerable antennas are one of the most promising candidates for future small satellite applications. The outcome of this Ph.D. project could be used for the next-generation wireless communication systems for small-satellite applications.
University of Catania Catania, Italy
Master Degree in Telecommunication Engineering
2013-2017
Bachelor Degree in Telecommunication Engineering
2008-2013
The University of Catania is where I learned most of the key skills that I have taken through my career. I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the university and learned a lot about a healthy work-life balance.
Projects
Integrated Active Phased Array Antenna for SmallSat Inter-Satellite Communications in K-band
September 2019 – May 2020
X-band Downlink Antenna for Small Satellites Communications
June 2017 – May 2019
K-band antenna for ISL between nano satellite
February 2016 – June 2016
Study of a Broadband Circularly Polarized Patch Antenna for Small Satellites Applications
January 2015
Analisys of an High Isolation Dual Polarization Microstrip Patch Antenna fed by cross Shaped Slot
December 2014 – January 2015
Microstrip to circular waveguide transition
June 2013 – September 2013
Publications
Integrated Active Phased Array Antenna for SmallSat Inter-Satellite Communications in K-band
2020
Submitted to IEEE Transaction on Industrial Electronics
Investigation of Surface Roughness Impact on a 24GHz Eight-Way Hybrid-Based Power Divider
2020
Submitted to IEEE Transaction on Industrial Electronics
X-Band Dual Circularly Polarized Patch Antenna With High Gain for Small Satellites
July 2019
IEEE Access
This paper presents an X-band circularly polarized patch antenna. High gain, in combination with a dual-sense circular polarization, makes the proposed antenna particularly attractive for space applications involving small satellites. With the proposed design, it is possible to employ only one antenna rather than two (RHCP and LHCP), thus saving space on the aircraft, which is clearly a limited resource.
A Telemetry, Tracking, and Command Antennas System for Small Satellites Applications
June 2019
MDPI Electronics
This paper presents an antenna for a TT&C system consisting of four antennas to achieve a wide quasi-isotropic coverage. The developed low-cost antenna can be used for small-satellite data downlink where only two right hand circular polarized (RHCP) antennas and two left hand circular polarized (LHCP) antennas would be required since each antenna has an adequate CP gain on a wide angle.
Wideband or Dual-Band Low-Profile Circular Patch Antenna with High Gain and Sidelobe Suppression
June 2018
IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation
This paper presents a wideband or dual-band circular disk antenna with high gain and sidelobe suppression (SLS). The antenna has a single layer and single-fed configuration. Wideband or dual-band behavior can be achieved with high gain and SLS.
Skills
Main skills:
- Microwave Engineering
- Antennas Array
- Antennas for Small Satellite Terminal
- Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Design
- Antenna Measurements
- Phased Array Calibration
Design Software:
- CST
- HFSS
- Altium Designer
Programming Languages:
- Python
- Matlab
- C
- Java
A Little More About Me
As well as Antennas and IT, I also enjoy doing the following:
- Games
- Reading
- Building things, particularly with LEGO
- Coding