Administrative, Research, and Teaching Staff
Karolos Grigoriadis, Ph.D.
Director, Sasakawa International Center for Space Architecture (SICSA);
Hugh Roy and Lillie Cranz Cullen Endowed Professor and Chair, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Houston
Karolos Grigoriadis, Ph.D., is director of the Sasakawa International Center for Space Architecture (SICSA), Hugh Roy and Lillie Cranz Cullen Endowed Professor, and chair of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Houston. He also directs the Aerospace Engineering Graduate Program and is founding director of the UH NASA MIRO Inflatable Deployable Environments and Adaptive Space Systems (IDEAS²) Center. His research centers on the modeling, analysis, control, and optimization of complex mechanical and aerospace systems, with expertise in robust and nonlinear control, estimation, and integrated system design. His work addresses how engineered systems can operate reliably under uncertainty and changing conditions. Established in 2024 through a nearly $5 million NASA award, IDEAS² advances inflatable and deployable structures, smart materials, soft robotics, and adaptive space systems for exploration of the Moon and Mars. The closer alignment of SICSA and IDEAS² is helping bridge space architecture and human-centered design with advanced engineering research and technology development, while preparing students with the interdisciplinary skills needed for the future space workforce. Dr. Grigoriadis earned his Ph.D. in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Purdue University and joined UH in 1994. He has authored or co-authored more than 400 refereed journal and conference publications and three research monographs: Efficient Modeling and Control of Large-Scale Systems (Springer-Verlag, 2010), Actuator Saturation Control (Marcel Dekker, 2003), and A Unified Algebraic Approach to Linear Control Design (Taylor & Francis, 1998). He is a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and has received numerous honors for his research and teaching. At SICSA, he seeks to strengthen opportunities for students to engage in interdisciplinary research and collaborate with NASA and the space industry while developing the skills to contribute effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
Vittorio Netti, Ph.D.
Associate Director, Sasakawa International Center for Space Architecture (SICSA);
Senior Project Engineer for Crew Systems, Axiom Space
Dr. Vittorio Netti is a space architect and Space systems engineer and the Associate Director of the Sasakawa International Center for Space Architecture (SICSA) at the University of Houston. Trained as an architect in Venice and later in space architecture and aerospace engineering, he bridges human-centered design and space systems, focusing on how crews will live and work on the Moon. At SICSA he founded the XR Laboratory, where his research combines extended reality simulation with high-fidelity mockups to validate habitat design and crew operations before hardware is built. He leads the center’s human-in-the-loop testing research on lunar surface operations, studying human factors, EVA workflows, and the role of automation in surface logistics. His team has extended this validation approach to microgravity through parabolic flight testing. His design and research work covers commercial space station interiors, lunar surface infrastructure built through ISRU and additive manufacturing, surface mobility systems, robotics for in-orbit servicing, and deployable structures for spacecraft and stratospheric payloads. These efforts have been developed within NASA, ESA, and industry-sponsored programs. He has authored more than 25 scientific publications, taken part in three analog missions, and contributed to EVA test campaigns in the US and Canada. Beyond academia, he is a Senior Project Engineer for crew systems at Axiom Space and has co-founded aerospace ventures in deployable space structures and autonomous aerial systems that raised more than $12 million combined. He holds a PhD in Aerospace Engineering from Politecnico di Bari, with a dissertation on lunar construction, an MS in Space Architecture from the University of Houston, and architecture degrees from IUAV University of Venice. He teaches graduate studio and thesis courses in space architecture, chairs a subcommittee of the AIAA Space Architecture Technical Committee, and serves on the AIAA Houston Section Executive Council.
Larry Toups
Adjunct Associate Professor, Sasakawa International Center for Space Architecture;
Former NASA ISS Habitability Systems Lead
Mr. Toups has a Bachelors Degree in Architecture, and a Masters Degree in Space Architecture from the University of Houston, Sasakawa International Center for Space Architecture (SICSA). In 1988 he joined Lockheed Engineering and Sciences Company at Johnson Space Center (JSC) providing technical support for JSC’s New Initiatives Office in the area of Systems Engineering of habitats and planetary systems needed for the human exploration of the moon. During this time he contributed to numerous NASA studies including the 90 Day Study on Human Exploration of the Moon and Mars, First Lunar Outpost, and Access to Space. Joining NASA in February 1994 he became part of the International Space Station (ISS) Program Office at Johnson Space Center. He assumed the role of Habitability Systems Lead in the ISS Vehicle Office. and was responsible for human factors requirements, and hardware items such as Crew Quarters, Galley and Food Systems for the ISS. He returned to future exploration work in 2004 and was the lead in various NASA studies related to future habitation that will be required on the surface of the moon (and eventually Mars) to support future NASA missions. From 2013 to 2019 he was a member of the Exploration Missions Planning Office at Johnson Space Center and the lead technical monitor overseeing the NASA NextSTEP Habitation contracts, which engaged six industry participants in looking at habitation concepts beyond Low Earth Orbit. From 2012 to 2019 he held an Adjunct Professor position in the Department of Architecture at Chalmers Institute of Science and Technology, Gothenberg, Sweden linking research in sustainability for future space habitats and future homes on Earth. In 2016 he accepted an Adjunct Professor position at the Sasakawa International Center for Space Architecture in 2016. Mr. Toups retired from NASA in January 2020.
Larry Bell
Founder and Director Emeritus, Sasakawa International Center for Space Architecture (SICSA);
Endowed Professor of Space Architecture
Professor Larry S. Bell is an architect, industrial designer, educator, author, entrepreneur, and pioneer in the development of space architecture as an interdisciplinary field. He is Space Architecture Endowed Professor and Director Emeritus of the Sasakawa International Center for Space Architecture (SICSA) at the University of Houston. Bell joined the University of Houston faculty in 1978 and founded SICSA in 1987, establishing what became an internationally recognized center for research, education, and design concerning human habitation and operations in space and other extreme environments. Bell’s academic career began in industrial design. After earning his architecture and MFA in industrial design degrees from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, he directed the university’s graduate industrial design program and rose to the rank of full professor. He subsequently brought this multidisciplinary design background to Houston, where his work increasingly focused on the challenges of designing for environments in which conventional assumptions about architecture, engineering, resources, and human operations no longer apply. At the University of Houston, Bell developed and led research addressing orbital facilities, space stations, lunar and Mars habitats, space transportation and infrastructure, extreme terrestrial environments, and other advanced aerospace applications. SICSA’s work has included research and design studies conducted with NASA and major aerospace organizations, while its educational programs have produced generations of architects and designers who went on to careers throughout the international space community. Bell also established the university’s graduate program in space architecture, recognized as the world’s first dedicated graduate degree program in the field. His professional activities have extended beyond academia. Bell co-founded Space Industries International in 1982, a Houston-based space technology company that subsequently grew through mergers and acquisitions into a large advanced-technology enterprise. He also co-founded Bell & Trotti, Inc., a space architecture and design firm whose work included studies and design activities for NASA and aerospace organizations. Bell’s approach to space architecture has consistently emphasized the relationship between people, technology, environments, and systems rather than treating architecture as simply the design of isolated physical structures. His work has therefore brought together architectural design, industrial design, engineering, environmental systems, human factors, operations, and the practical requirements of living and working in extreme environments. The University of Houston has described his contribution as helping define and lead the field of space architecture. Over the course of his career, Bell has received numerous professional and international honors, including NASA recognition for advanced design contributions, the Space Pioneer Award from Kyushu Sanyo University in Japan, and honors from the Federation of Astronautics and Cosmonautics of the former Soviet Union for contributions to international space development. He is an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and a Fellow of The Explorers Club. Bell is also a prolific author and public commentator. His writing has addressed space exploration and settlement, aerospace policy, technology, energy, environmental issues, and broader questions concerning humanity’s future. His work has appeared in professional journals, newspapers, magazines, and international broadcast media, including the BBC, PBS, Discovery Channel, History Channel, and major U.S. and international publications. Today, as Director Emeritus of SICSA, Bell continues to contribute to space architecture and the broader development of human space infrastructure. His continuing work explores how transportation, habitats, surface systems, orbital infrastructure, human requirements, and emerging technologies can be considered as interconnected elements of future lunar and Mars development rather than as isolated projects. The University of Houston continues to identify him with SICSA’s founding and its historic role in establishing space architecture as an interdisciplinary academic and professional field.
Olga Bannova, Ph.D.
Adjunct Faculty, Sasakawa International Center for Space Architecture (SICSA);
Professor, Regents’ Research Excellence Program (RREP), University of Texas at San Antonio
Dr. Bannova is a professor of Regents’ Research Excellence Program (RREP) at the College of Engineering and Integrated Design of the University of Texas at San Antonio. She has been teaching, conducting research, mentoring graduate students and was directing the Sasakawa International Center for Space Architecture and its Master of Science program at the University of Houston’s Cullen College of Engineering for many years. Her current research includes development of habitat design testing and evaluation methodology using extended reality approach combining VR technology with integration of low-fidelity mockups and mission-specific Concept of Operations. She is an elected member of the International Academy of Astronautics, IAA Commission 6 chair. Olga is the author of “Space Architecture: Human Habitats beyond the Planet Earth” (2021) and “Space Architecture Education for Engineers and Architects” (2016 and it’s second edition in 2026), many book chapters and 70+ technical publications. Dr. Bannova received College of Engineering Outstanding Instructional Faculty award, International Academy of Astronautics Best Book annual award, NASA Silver Achievement Medal award, Outstanding Technical Contribution Award and Outstanding Professional Service Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Aerospace Division, and 2 NASA Certificates of Appreciation for MFHE study.
Jackelynne Silva-Martinez, Ph.D.
Adjunct Faculty, Sasakawa International Center for Space Architecture (SICSA);
SpaceX Resident Office Manager, Human Landing System Program, NASA
Professor Silva works at NASA serving as SpaceX Resident Office Manager for the Human Landing System Program, following her role as Artemis Mission Integrator for the Moon to Mars Program. Throughout her career at NASA, she has held key technical and leadership roles, including Human Systems Engineering and Integration Lead for the Commercial LEO Development Program and Human System Manager for the Gateway Program within the Human Health and Performance Directorate; as well as Operations Planning Flight Controller and Systems Engineer for the International Space Station and Artemis Programs within the Flight Operations Directorate. Her foundational industry experience includes working as Mechanical Engineer and Test Operator for the Mars Science Laboratory Rover at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and as Mechanical Design Engineer and Systems Integration & Test Engineer for government and commercial satellites at Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company. Dr. Jackelynne is an American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Associate Fellow and founded NASA’s Agile Community of Practice. Dr. Jackelynne participated in several space analog missions including Human Exploration Research Analog at Johnson Space Center, and Mars Desert Research Analog in Utah. Dr. Jackelynne earned two bachelor degrees from Rutgers University; one in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, and a second one in Spanish Translation and Interpretation, in addition to a Minor in Mathematics. She obtained a Master’s Degree in Aeronautical Science with concentrations in Space Systems and Human Factors Aviation & Aerospace Systems from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University; as well as a second Master’s Degree in Aerospace Engineering with concentration in Space Human Systems Integration from Georgia Institute of Technology. Dr. Jackelynne obtained her PhD Degree in Leadership with concentration in Organizational Management from Carolina University. Dr. Jackelynne is an alumna of the International Space University Space Studies Program, and NASA’s Project Management Success Lab.
Valery Aksamentov, Ph.D.
Adjunct Professor, Sasakawa International Center for Space Architecture;
Director of International Business, Boeing
Dr. Aksamentov received his B.S. and Ph.D. degrees in mechanical engineering at the Moscow Aviation Institute with highest honors for academic work. After receiving his Ph.D. in 1987 he was hired as a Senior Research Fellow and faculty member in the College of Cosmonautics and Automatic Flight Vehicles. Dr. Aksamentov has a very distinguished career with both the former Soviet — now Russian and US space programs. Dr. Aksamentov has authored and co-authored more than 40 publications in the U.S. and Russia, including Russian Space Industry Standard for Calculations of Spacecraft External Heat Fluxes, and patented invention. He holds the Gagarin Diploma, one of the highest honors awarded by Russiaʼs leading professional aeronautics and cosmonautics society, which he received for contributions to international cooperation in space. Dr. Aksamentov was a visiting professor of aerospace engineering at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. He is currently a Director of International business for Boeing Space Exploration in Houston, TX and has been working closely with SICSA for many years through lectures and participation in student studio design reviews.
Corrado Testi
Instructor and Researcher, Sasakawa International Center for Space Architecture
Corrado Testi is an instructor and researcher at the Sasakawa International Center for Space Architecture (SICSA), Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Houston. His research focuses on using extended reality (XR), immersive simulation, and human-in-the-loop evaluation to improve the design of crewed space systems. At SICSA, he has led XR Lab efforts to study how crews move through, interact with, and perform tasks within proposed habitats, vehicles, and operational environments. His work spans lunar habitat and surface-system concepts, extravehicular and intravehicular activity (EVA and IVA) operations, crew interfaces, and mission concepts of operations. His projects have included XR evaluations of lunar driving and EVA tasks, studies of pressurized rover and habitat operations, and research into digital representations of space-system activities. He commanded a 14-day analog mission at LUNARES in Poland, where he conducted research related to crew tasks and human-system interaction. His master’s thesis, Skyflower, explored a reusable lunar cargo lander concept designed to reduce the effects of rocket plumes on the lunar surface. Corrado holds a Master of Science in Space Architecture from the University of Houston, as well as a Master of Science and a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Engineering. He is a Ph.D. candidate in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Houston. In Fall 2026, Corrado teaches SPAC 6398, Digital Design and XR for Space Systems Architecture, and serves as a co-instructor for SPAC 6401. He encourages students to use modeling, animation, visualization, and immersive review to develop their ideas and examine how a design would work for its users.