The team is currently composed of 11 members, divided into 4 teams:
- the project managers, taking care mainly of all the managing aspect of the project, productions or the instruments, their distribution, etc.
- the science board, composed of specialist of the atmosphere and climate sciences, refining the science to be explored and in charge of the data analysis
- the pilot squad, composed of citizens practicing regularly paragliding. They will be test pilots for the instruments, helping improving their design and functionality, and they will act as national point of contact for the other pilots in the future.
- the technical support, helping us to develop the technical aspects of the project, such as the electronic components, their programming, etc.
The project managers
Dr. Manuela Raimbault
Affiliation: Independent scientist
Contact: contact@explora-sciences.com
Languages: French, English, and some Spanish, German, Italian and Portuguese.
Bio: Having finished a PhD in astrophysics, I have been paragliding for 5 years. Also graduating from a French engineering school, and being keen on electronics, together with Thibaut we came with the idea of merging science and a passion, while involving a maximum of citizens.
Mr. Thibaut Roger
Affiliation: Independent scientist
Contact: thibaut.roger@space.unibe.ch
Languages: French, English, and some Spanish.
Bio: Also finishing a PhD in astrophysics, I am passionate about science outreach and communication and I am currently moving to a communication career. Citizen science was thus the most obvious for us when we got the idea of probing the atmosphere with paragliders. During my studies, I spent a few months doing research about the Earth’ atmosphere, and have since then been interested in this field of science.
The science board
Dr. Jan Henneberger
Affiliation: Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science (IAC), ETH Zürich
Contact: jan.henneberger@env.ethz.ch
Bio: I am leader of the experimental Atmospheric Physics group focusing on field measurements of the cloud microphysics to improve the understanding of precipitation formation. The research combines remote and in-situ measurements with a focus on holographic imager. In particular, the origin of ice crystals in clouds is studied in field campaigns together with international partners.
Prof. Dr. Ulrike Lohmann
Affiliation: Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science (IAC), ETH Zürich
Contact: ulrike.lohmann@env.ethz.ch
Bio: I am the head of the Atmospheric Physics group focusing on understanding aerosol-cloud interactions experimentally and in numerical simulations of the past, current and future climate.
Dr. Zamin Kanji
Affiliation: Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science (IAC), ETH Zürich
Contact: zamin.kanji@env.ehtz.ch
Bio: I am leader of the experimental Atmospheric Physics group focusing on aerosol physical and chemical properties and their influence on cloud formation. The research is conducted by a combination of field observations and fundamental laboratory designed studies to understand the process of ice nucleation in clouds on a variety of aerosol particles of natural and anthropogenic origin.
Dr. Tjarda Roberts
Affiliation: Laboratory of Physics and Chemistry of the Environment and Space ( LPC2E), CNRS/Université d’Orléans, Researcher associé at CNRS/LATMOS, Paris (France)
Contact: tjarda.roberts@cnrs-orleans.fr
Bio: I am a CNRS Researcher in Atmospheric Chemistry, with expertise in modelling and measurements of volcanic gases and aerosols and their plume atmospheric processing (CNRS Médaille de Bronze 2020). I am also a specialist in mini-sensor measurements of atmospheric pollution, in volcanic plumes (e.g. Etna) and other environments (e.g. tracing urban emissions and vertical mixing in the wintertime Arctic boundary layer, Fairbanks, Alaska, 2019).
The pilot squad
Ms. Aurélie Bessière
Affiliation: Citizen (France)
Languages: French, English.
Bio: I am 36 and I work as a freelance French/English translator. I have been flying for 8 years and I like cross-country flights due to the endless possibilities they offer, the challenge about moving through the landscape and all the analysis/strategy required. In summertime I live in a van which is very convenient to fly in different areas and be at the best place at the right time. Paragliding is my main hobby but I like all kinds of outdoor/mountain activities. I am very enthusiastic to be part of this project that could help us understand better how human activities impact our environment.
Mr. Romain Gabily
Affiliation: Citizen (France)
Languages: French, English, and Spanish.
Bio: I am 35 years old and after 10 years as a construction engineer, I am switching careers to become a paraglider instructor. I have been flying for 9 years, and over 200 hours in 2019. I like long-distance flights for the analytical strategy it requires and the emotions it brings. I am always happy to stay in the sky for over 9 hours and travelling hundreds of kilometres with the wind and sun as energy sources. I love the idea of this project and I am impatient to discover the first results!
Mr. Tobias Großmann
Affiliation: Citizen (Switzerland)
Languages: German, English, and some Spanish.
Bio: I am an IT Consultant of German & Swiss nationalities. Passionate paraglider for 4 years, it changed my life! From working 70 hours/week and 20kg overweight, I changed a lot after discovering the beauty of nature and the joy of following birds. Now I work 90% and whenever possible, I will spend time outside, either flying, hiking or cycling, in the Alps or at European and African coastal sides.
Mr. Raphael Oerer
Affiliation :Citizen (Switzerland)
Languages: German, English, French and some Spanish.
Bio: I am 35 years old and work as Marketing and Sales Manager in an ICT Company. I started paragliding in 2008 and obtained my licence in 2018. Since then I have been flying every day when the weather allowed.
The technical support
Mr. Michel Hêche
Affiliation: Citizen (France, Switzerland)
Languages: French, English, and Spanish.
Bio: I originally studied electronic engineering at the Geneva engineering school. My work is now mainly oriented on digital forensics but also includes a large part of hardware reverse engineering, electronic tools development and threat analysis on hardware. I am also a paragliding pilot, I started paragliding 15 years ago but really get involved in it 5 years ago. I practice hike and fly, mountaineering and fly, via ferrata and fly, as long as it ends up flying, that’s fine with me.