Anu Ojha

"Anu Ojha has been an Executive Director of the National Space Centre since 2008 and is Director of the UK’s National Space Academy programme. He co-led the development for Government of the National Framework for Higher Apprenticeships for the Space Sector and has contributed to a number of National and International policy studies including ESA/EU strategies for skills and education in the 21st Century (2010) ,the UK’s Space Exploration Review (2009), Innovation and Growth Strategy (2010) and Space Growth Action Plan (2013).

"Prior to joining the National Space Centre he spent fifteen years in teaching culminating in being Assistant Principal of the largest specialist science college in the UK. During this time he was awarded Advanced Skills Teacher (AST) status in 2003 by the UK Government for excellence in teaching and was also a National Lead Practitioner (physics) for the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust. He continues to teach physics as part of the National Space Academy’s Space Engineering and Higher Apprenticeship courses run in partnership with Loughborough College and the University of Leicester and is also leading the development of new international teaching programmes for the European Space Agency (ESA) for students and teachers.

"He is a member of STFC’s Public Engagement Panel and is the UK delegate to, and Vice-President of, the Astronautics Records Commission of the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI) – the world governing body for airsports and human spaceflight achievements.

"In 2010 he was presented with the Sir Arthur Clarke Award for Inspiration by the UK space sector and was appointed OBE for services to science education in the 2014 Queen’s Birthday Honours List."