About

Space Applications & Research Consultancy (SPARC) was established in 2016 as a dynamic team of physicists and engineers with extensive research expertise across Data, Space, Nuclear, Plasma, and Material Sciences. Our interdisciplinary character enables us to deliver sophisticated, tailored solutions for complex challenges, with a primary focus on space research and applications.

At SPARC, we combine cutting-edge scientific expertise with advanced software engineering capabilities. Our team excels in developing robust data distribution platforms, implementing distributed computing solutions, and creating comprehensive web applications that transform complex scientific data into accessible, actionable intelligence. We specialize in building end-to-end systems that bridge the gap between theoretical models and practical applications, including real-time alert systems for space weather events and secure data portals for scientific collaboration.

Our skill set spans the complete data lifecycle - from acquisition and curation to processing, analysis, and visualization. We leverage machine learning and artificial intelligence techniques to extract meaningful insights from complex datasets, while our experience with radiation modeling, detector simulations, and space environment forecasting positions us uniquely for projects requiring specialized space physics knowledge combined with sophisticated computational solutions.

SPARC brings proven expertise in managing complex R&D projects for organizations like the European Space Agency. Our portfolio includes developing space radiation monitors, environment modeling systems, and forecasting technologies. This experience positions us as an ideal partner for mission-critical applications such as astronaut radiation protection and space safety initiatives.

Partner with SPARC to access our specialized expertise that transforms space challenges into opportunities for innovation and discovery. Our team combines scientific depth with advanced computational capabilities to deliver solutions that matter.

Team

Ingmar Sandberg, PhD

Ingmar received his doctoral degree in Space and Plasma Physics from Uppsala University, Sweden and visited as guest scientist the Russian Academy of Sciences and the University of Marseille. He has worked as research associate in Bochum University, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, National Technical University of Athens, National Observatory of Athens and Institute of Accelerating Systems and Applications. During the last decade, he has contributed and managed various R&D projects of European Space Agency related to the calibration of space radiation monitors and to the analysis, modelling and forecasting of space environment.

Constantinos Papadimitriou

Constantinos has worked as a software developer in the private sector and as a research associate in top academic institutions in Greece. He specializes in data curation and pre-processing, time-series analysis and statistical modelling and has extensive experience with the application of a wide range of methods, ranging from information-theoretical measures to machine learning algorithms. He is a member of the calibration and validation team of ESA Swarm electromagnetic data and contributes to the development of the European Space Radiation Environment Model. His work has been published in many leading international academic journals.

Sigiava Aminalragia-Giamini, PhD

Sigiava has worked since 2012 as a research associate in multiple scientific projects in the fields of Space science and Materials science. He has collaborated with institutions such as the National Observatory of Athens and the National Center for Scientific Research “Demokritos”. His areas of interest are signal and time-series analysis, probabilistic modelling of space weather phenomena and the application of machine learning and artificial intelligence methods. He has developed the (VESPER) model which is the solar proton component of the European Space Radiation Environment Model.

Christos Katsavrias, PhD

Dr. Christos Katsavrias is a space physicist and Postdoctoral Researcher at NKUA. He received his PhD from the University of Athens in February 2019, working on the variability of the electron population in the outer radiation belt. His interests lie in the field of magnetospheric physics and space weather with emphasis on energetic particles in the Van Allen radiation belts, wave-particle interactions and time-series analysis. His work has been published to several scientific journals and international conferences.

Nantia Moutsouroufi, MSc

Konstantina (Nantia) Moutsouroufi received her master's degree in Astrophysics by the Department of Astrophysics, Astronomy and Mechanics, Faculty of Physics of the University of Athens working on her master thesis using long-term Cassini measurements to construct a Magnetospheric Stress Index for Saturn's Magnetosphere. She has been actively involved in science communication and public outreach, has organized and participated in many events and educational activities, and is editor and author of the “SpaceGates” blog. She was project manager of "SpaceGates Academy", an ambitious initiative that provided training on science communication to early career researchers (ECR) from graduate to PhD level.

Kimon Tsilias, MSc

Kimon Tsilias received his BSc from the Department of Physics of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA). He graduated from the Department of Informatics’ (NKUA) “Space Technologies, Applications and seRvices – STAR” MSc program. He has experience working with data from multiple missions, instrument calibration, data analysis, figure generation and machine learning.

Zafar Iqbal

With over 20 years of programming experience across the UK and Greece, Zafar combines computer science expertise from Oxford with design sensibilities from Central Saint Martins. His diverse skill set spans secure software architecture, distributed systems, web applications, and cyber-physical systems. Zafar's career includes roles at ZDNet/CNET and the National Technical University of Athens, while his innovative contributions to science and art projects earned him recognition among Europe's Top 50 Makers in 2016.