50 years of Mars exploration

What we have learned, what is still to be discovered

During the last 5 decades, Mars has been visited by a number of satellites, landers and rovers. Together this fleet changed our understanding about the evolution of our Solar System and fueled the quest for life beyond Earth.

Join Professor Paulo de Souza who previously worked with NASA on two Mars rover missions and is now the Head of the School of Information and Communication Technology, to discuss the history and future of Mars explorations. This event will present you with what we knew before the Mariner spacecraft fly-by to what we should expect to know with the current missions travelling to Mars and what we should expect for the next decades and the opportunities for Australia and our industry.

Date: Thursday 30 September 2020 
Time: 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm 
Location: Live webstream


Professor Paulo de Souza

Professor Paulo de Souza completed his Ph.D. in Natural Sciences (Dr. rer. nat.) at Johannes Gutenberg Universität in Mainz, Germany and his undergraduate and M.Sc (Eng.) studies at UFES in Brazil. His research interests lie in the area of micro-sensing and he explores applications of his instruments across different fields of science and in industry, including mining, space, and ICT. He contributed to the design, production, deployment, and operation of a sensor used by NASA onboard two rovers on Mars.

Paulo is a Fellow of the Australian Computer Society. He serves as editorial board member of several interdisciplinary and ICT journals and is a reviewer of several research funding programs in Australia and abroad. He has extensive international hands-on experience in industrial research, consultancy, government agencies, and academia. Paulo is an experienced postgraduate and early career researcher supervisor. He is co-author of several books and international patents, and of over 200 peer-review publications including several articles in the prestigious journals Science and Nature. He is co-author of a series of articles identified as the “Breakthrough of the Year” by Science Magazine, and received several international awards for his service to science particularly in the ICT sector. Paulo is an experienced science communicator having his research covered by major media including CNN, Al Jazeera, Time Magazine, Forbes, The Guardian, and BBC.  

Paulo is the Head of the School of Information and Communication Technology with Griffith University.