Personal information
Nationality Italian
Date of birth 03 September 1985
Gender Female
Summary
Paola received the Master’s degree in Telecommunication Engineering “cum laude” at the University of Rome “Tor Vergata”in 2009. She developed two internships at Thales Alenia Space Italy (TASI) during university, and she entered in contact with the team-working environment. She developed some new RF analysis Tools, currently applied in the prediction activity of some space programs(Amos/Sicral). In particular, she studied a model for a radiofrequency mixer, and it was applied for spurious analysis. After the degree (November 2009), she started to work at TRS as consultant in MBDA, where she took part in a military program as software developer. In September 2010 she has been hired temporary by TASI. She was in charge to develop Payload analysis (spurious and auto/inter-compatibility), in the frame of Athena Fidus program. In December 2010 she decided to follow in parallel the PhD in Telecommunication Engineering at the University of Tor Vergata (December 2010). Doctoral studies focus on the Telemetry, Tracking and Command system (TT&C). Her actual research activity investigates mainly on the secure anti-jamming techniques, in particular the channel coding is analyzed and new approaches are proposed. She had the opportunity to take part in TASI to a study founded by ESA on the Cryptographic Pseudo-Noise codes and Synchronization Techniques for Spread Spectrum Transponders. Her competences on the satellite systems became more solid thanks to the experience in TAS France (September 2011-June 2012), which also permitted her to learn French language. She has been working in Toulouse, in order to
prepare the prediction activity for the constellation in MEO orbit, O3B, which has been designed at TASF, and will be completed in TASI. She is actually responsible of test validation (AIV) at satellite level of the constellation O3B in Rome.
Desired employment /Occupational field
Space Communications Engineer
Work experience
Dates 01 May 2007 - 01 October 2007
Internship Student: Study and Model of a radiofrequency mixer for a geostationary satellite system. Development of a tool simulation software (Matlab/Simulink) to evaluate the effect of the inter-modulation products generated by a mixer. The simulation model has been validated, comparing the results with the measurements done in the operating spacecraft programs (Kaztsat1). Thales Alenia Space (BU Payload Engineering) - Rome (Italy)
Dates 01 March 2009 - 01 October 2009
Internship Student: Study of the main RF Analysis for support to prediction of the performance of a Payload satellite (Noise Figure; In band response; Group Delay; Level Diagramm). Development of a tool simulation software (Matlab/Simulink) in order to estimate the performance of a Payload geostationary satellite. The simulation models have been validated through the comparison with the measured results of an operating spacecraft programs (Kaztsat2). Thales Alenia Space (BU Payload Engineering) - Rome (Italy)
Dates 01 October 2009 - 01 December 2009
Internship: training of C++/Object Oriented Design/UML language - TRS (Technology of Systems and Networks) - Rome (Italy)
Dates 01 December 2009 - 15 July 2010
Software developer and tester. The programming language used was ADA 95.
Software development and testing for a military system. The job activity was developed in MBDA (Finmeccanica) as consultant, for TRS. - Rome (Italy)
Dates 01 October 2010 - 01 September 2011
Payload Engineer. Payload analysis and preparation for the Preliminary Design Review (PDR), in the frame of the program ATHENA FIDUS (customer: CNES / ASI / French and Italian military army).
The analysis taken in charge were:
- Spurious analysis;
- Auto / Inter compatibility analysis.
Study and design of the Payload redundant switching matrix at the high power output section, with the help of a in-house tool software (Red-Matrix).
Emission of the related official documentation for PDR. - Thales Alenia Space (BU Payload Engineering) - Rome (Italy)
Dates 01 January 2011 - 01 September 2011
Payload Engineer
European Space Agency (ESA) study on behalf of TAS-I, on the "Cryptographic Pseudo-Noise codes and Related Synchronization Techniques for Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum Transponders".
The activity consisted in the definition of the requirements for the Spread Spectrum On Board Transponder (SST), with the use of a very long PN code. - Thales Alenia Space (BU Payload Engineering) - Rome (Italy)
Dates 01 December 2010 →
PhD student. The research activity focuses mainly on the secure anti-jamming techniques, in the frame of Telemetry, Tracking and Command system (TT&C), with the application of a Direct-Sequence Spread Spectrum code. In particular, the benefits of channel coding are analysed and new approaches are proposed. The existing standards as PSS (Procedures, Specifications and Standards), or ECSS (European Cooperation for Space Standardization) have been exploited, and advanced coding schemes (Concatenated, LDPC) are evaluated. Simulation models have been built in order to estimate the improvement in terms of Bit/Frame Error Rate (BER/FER). Particular attention is focused on the Pulsed Jammer which causes Burst errors. A study of the PLL on Board characteristics has been done, and a Jammer model has been carried out. - University of Rome Tor Vergata (in collaboration with Thales Alenia Space-I) - Rome (Italy)
Dates 01 September 2011 →
Payload Validation for constellation O3B. Study and preparation of the Prediction Analysis and Validation activity at Payload and Satellite level, for the constellation O3B (customer: O3B / SES).
The activity consists in:
- Study of the constellation: Telecom services, Payload block diagram, RF test requirements;
- Preparation of the Prediction Analysis, in order to verify the behaviour of the variable gain amplifiers (LDLA/CAMP), and the main Telemetries (Helix Current, EPC Power, Anode Voltage) of the Tube amplifiers (TWTs);
- Validation of the test results at Payload / Satellite level, and comparison with the predicted data;
- NRB / TRB presentation to the customer, and support to all reviews internal and with the customer. –
Thales Alenia Space (BU Payload Engineering) - Toulouse (France) 01 September 2011 → 15 June 2012
Rome (Italy) - 15 June 2012 →
Education and training:
Dates 01 September 1999 - 01 June 2004
Title of qualification awarded High School Diploma (Scientific Liceum 100/100)
Touscheck – Rome
Dates 01 October 2004 - 01 October 2007
Bachelor's Degree (Telecommunications Engineering 110 cum laude)
University of Tor Vergata Rome
Dates 01 October 2007 - 01 October 2009
Master's Degree (Telecommunications Engineering 110 cum laude)
University of tor Vergata Rome
Dates 15 September 2011 - 27 February 2012
Title of qualification awarded French Language Course
Active Langue - Toulouse (France)
Other language(s)
English: C1 Proficient user C1 Proficient user B2 Independent user B2 Independent user C1 Proficient user
French: C1 Proficient user C1 Proficient user B2 Independent user B2 Independent user B2 Independent user
Computer skills and competences Programming languages:
1 - Matlab/Simulink;
2 - C++/Object Oriented Design/UML language (Minor C/java);
3 - ADA 95;
4 - Mysql - Database.
Operative systems:
1 - Windows and Office Packet;
2 - Unix;
Driving licence(s) B
Additional information: Projects at University
1- Development of a database using Mysql, with the use of the queries;
2- Satellite remote sensing: elaboration of images coming from a satellite, with the help of a tool software (leoworks) and GPS coordinates. The project has been developed in two days at ESRIN (ESA-Frascati).
3- Synthesis of Antennas : development at functional level of a dipoles antenna (Matlab), taking into account the requirements.
4- Study of the propagation of signal through obstacles (factor of Diffraction) and application of Fresnel's laws,: simulations in Matlab, and the visualization of the graphical results.
Published Papers:
1- A New Simulation Tool for an RF Communications Payload, L.Bruno, P.Martinelli, D.Finocchi, F.Di
Cola, G.Di Paolo, Thales Alenia Space, Ka Conference 2011.
2- AlphaSat Q/V-Band Payload: Architecture and Status at the end of Payload Development, F.Di Cola, D.Finocchi, P.Martinelli, G.Di Paolo, Thales Alenia Space, Ka Conference 2011.
3- Robustness of Satellite Telecommand Links to Jamming Attacks, P.Martinelli, E.Cianca, L. Di Paolo, A.Pisano, L.Simone, Thales Alenia Space, University of Rome Tor Vergata.
ESTEL, the first international IEEE – AESS Conference in Europe about Space and Satellite Telecommunications (Speaker 05/10/2012) | 
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