Leopold Summerer is Head of ESA’s Technology Department. He is responsible for ESA’s technology strategy, research and development programmes, the Education Programme, and the Directorate’s communication activities. His department includes the Advanced Concepts and Studies Office, the Technology Programme Office, the Technology Coordination and Planning Office, the Education Office, and communication for D/TEC and ESTEC.
A physicist by training, Leopold studied theoretical and nuclear physics, space studies, and earned a PhD on radiation–matter interaction. Before joining ESA in 2002, he conducted research in France, Germany, and Japan.