Julio was a key design engineer in the integration and adaptation of the Signalling System 7 (SS7) and responsible for its success in the exchange of information using digital signalling networks—one of the most complex projects in the world. Julio is a world-traveller, fluent in Spanish, English, German and French, and has worked in world-class telecom projects including those with KPN in the Netherlands, Sofrecom in Syria, CGI in Germany, and Vodafone, Altran, British Gas and NPower in the United Kingdom.

Julio Gonzalez-Saenz holds an MSc in Computer Science at Roosevelt University, where he developed DNA computer algorithms under Prof. Alex Wolpert; he completed the course work in Aerospace Simulation at the University of Liverpool gaining experience in Computational Fluid Dynamics simulations for rotary-wing aircrafts. He moved to University of Reading to study a PhD in optimal control under Prof. V. Becerra to develop space trajectories and strategies for lunar landing. Not conformed with his knowledge in optimal control, he is now pursuing a PhD in Computational Methods for Optimal Control for Energy Storage at the University of Portsmouth, gaining expertise in state estimation. Currently he works as IoT SME for the most ambitious Smart Energy project of the UK government.

Julio has worked in the industry for more than 35 years. He started in the telecommunication world as an engineer, working for IBM during the rise of consumer grade IBM-PCs. In following years, Julio was a key design engineer in the integration and adaptation of the Signalling System 7 (SS7) and responsible for its success in the exchange of information using digital signalling networks—one of the most complex projects in the world. Since then, he has worked side-by-side with all the biggest telecom suppliers. In Motorola USA, he was part of the principal engineering staff working on the introduction of WiMAX in the US market, which is now a wireless broadband communication standard. Julio is a world-traveller, fluent in Spanish, English, German and French, and has had the opportunity to work as a consultant for high-tech, world-class telecom projects including those with KPN in the Netherlands, Sofrecom in Syria, CGI in Germany, and Vodafone, Altran, British Gas and NPower in the United Kingdom.

Julio’s interests in space expansion projects started while working in Germany. There he volunteered at PTScientists as Software Engineering/Technical Manager of the Aerospace team. He also had a chance to work with Dr. Jack Crenshaw, one of the former NASA physicists of the Project Apollo. Together, they performed trajectory calculations for the deployment of rovers to the Moon as part of Google XPrize. Julio continues to work with PTScientists as a technical advisor.

Julio plays a vital role at Seanasol Research as Programme Director and is responsible for realising project aims and ensuring that objectives are delivered in a timely manner. He is also one of the key representatives of the company and liaises with individuals, universities and private companies in order to identify new research directions, which ultimately will lead to the development of better agricultural practices in harsh, remote, urban and low-gravity environments. Julio has always been interested in space exploration. He is highly interested in products that can benefit human expansion beyond the Solar System. He believes that plants, inter alia, will play a key role in any human endeavour outside of Earth. His expertise in Robotics, DNA, Telecommunications, Computer Science, Electronics, Cybersecurity and InternetOfThings can be used to learn what we still don’t know about plants and how they could cope in low-gravity environments, such that humans can move far and beyond the sky.