Artist-Scientist CV

About Me

Priyanka Das Rajkakati ✉️ info@AtelierArth.space  📍 Toulouse, France

Physicist, entrepreneur & (space) artist passionate about sensible space exploration.

Organically gearing towards climate-resilience systems thinking.

Indian-origin French with rich experience in challenging cross-disciplinary projects.

Forbes India 30 under 30 | France Alumni Ambassador | L'Oréal Woman of Worth.

Education

2021  

PhD in Aerospace Engineering
ISAE-Supaéro (DEOS Laboratory), EDMITT (Doctoral School) | Toulouse, France 

2017

Master of Science in Data Science & Autonomous Systems | Ingénieur Polytechnicien (X2013)
[Dual Degree] Ecole Polytechnique & ISAE-Supaéro | Palaiseau and Toulouse, France

2013

Bachelor of Science (Honors) in Physics
St. Stephen’s College, University of Delhi | Delhi, India

Certificate Courses

2022 Space Studies Program (SSP22) | International Space University | Remote & Oeiras, Portugal

2022 Smart Space MBA Elective – Full Engagement Auditor | Saïd Business School | Oxford, France

2013 Summer Course in Experimental Physics | Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE), TIFR | Mumbai, India

Work Experience

2023/09 - now

Head of Special Projects | Business Development + Project Management
vorteX-io | Toulouse, France

2023/03 - now

Founder & Artist
Atelier Arth

2021/07 - 2023/03

Co-Founder & Advisor
The Exploration Company | Mérignac, France

2017/04 - 2020/12

Systems Engineer (CIFRE PhD)
Safran Electronics & Defense | Eragny-sur-Oise, France

2016/03 – 2016/07

Research intern (Robotics)
Escola Politécnica, University of São Paulo | São Paulo, Brazil

2015/06 – 2015/07

Software intern (Automation)
CorWave | Paris, France

2014/06

Research project (Digital Holography)
Sup-Optique | Saclay, France

Creative Works

2025 

Artist
LunARC - Brahmaputra by Sunrise | Mare Crisium, Moon (onboard Blue Ghost I)

2022/03 - now

Programme Design
The RiVeins Initiative | Global rivers (starting with India and France)

2024/09

Artist & Exhibitor
Antarctic : Polar Opposites | Perth, Australia

2024/08

Artist & Exhibitor
Illuminated Lies > Priya/nka | Edinburgh Festival Fringe, UK

2023/11

Antarctic Explorer, Artist
Homeward Bound Projects #TeamHB5 | Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica

2021 - 2022

Artist and Exhibitor
Moon Gallery - Bhédadipika | International Space Station (ISS), Low Earth Orbit (421km) 

2021/04

Artist-in-Residence
European Geosciences Union (vEGU21) | Remote / Vienna, Austria

2021

Digital Artist and Exhibitor
V-Art Digital #ArtSpaceship | Remote

2020

Commander-in-training
EMMIHS-III Analog Astronaut Mission | HI-SEAS Moonbase, Hawai'i, USA

Volunteering

2018 - now

Member, Association promotion
French Women Pilots Association (AFFP) | France

2023 - now

Founding Member | International Relations
Spaceflight Institute | Toulouse, France

2020 - now

Founding member, X-Inde
Polytechnique Alumni Association (AX) | Paris, France

2019 - 2022

Member, PR&Comm team
Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC) | France

2020 - 2023

Member, organizer
International Astronautical Federation (IAF) | France 

Honors & Awards

2024 L'Oréal Woman of Worth | Forbes India, L'Oréal Paris 

2023 France Alumni Ambassador | Embassy of France in India, Campus France & Institut Français

2022 Next 100 Innovators under 40 | India Today

2022 50 years of Women at Polytechnique - featured profile, batch of X2013 | Ecole Polytechnique

2021 Phase 2-1 Astronaut Selections | European Space Agency (among the 154 shortlisted women from France)

2021 Karman Fellow | The Karman Project

2021 Forbes India 30 under 30 | Forbes India

2019 ESA ISEB Award for IAC2019 | European Space Agency

2011 INSPIRE Scholarship | Department of Science & Technology, Govt of India 

2010 Best All-Rounder Award | The Mother's International School

Conferences and Seminars

2024 Art & Science | Paris
Chamber of Commerce and Industry France India Invited as speaker to address the 2024 cohort of the under-35 French Indian Young Talents Program.

2023 Research, Action & Sustainability | Panel discussion, Kinshasa, DRC
Women’s STEM Innovation Fair Invited panelist (in French language) on a Presidential invite to DRC.

2023 Exploring the role of art in space | Podcast
NewSpace India podcast 100th episode honoured guest speaker.

2023 Indigenous knowledge taking us to the stars | Panel discussion, Nairobi, Kenya
Nexus Nairobi 2023 Invited panelist for the 100 Year Spaceship project by astronaut Mae Jemisen, the first woman of colour in space.

2022 The Artist Speals Out | Interview
ikonoTV interview (along with filmmaker Nina E. Schönefeld).

2022 Collective Musing – Arts, Humanities and Space | Panel discussion, Oxford University, UK
Oxford Space Initiative Invited on an artist-panel at Oxford University.

2021 International Collaboration for Sustainable Space Exploration | Panel discussion, St. Petersburg, Russia
GLEX-2021 (panel includedtwo astronauts)

2019 Science, and if it were for me? | Panel discussion, Paris, France
L'Oréal-UNESCO For Girls in Science (panel in French)

Publications

2023 Recherche et Innovation, Art et Propriété Intellectuelle
B. Monnier, P. D. Rajkakati, N. Puigserver
3AF Colloque P2i Propriété Intellectuelle & Innovation, Bordeaux.

2022 Remote-Sensing Technologies Towards Flood Mitigation in India's Northeast Region: A Case-Study
P. D. Rajkakati, J.S. Pathak, D. Barman
Astronautical Congress (IAC 2022), Paris.

2022 A Space for Art in Space
P. D. Rajkakati
Journal of Space Philosophy vol. 11, no. 2 (Fall 2022).

2020 Performance Limits of GNSS Code-Based Precise Positioning: GPS, Galileo & Meta-Signals
P. D. Rajkakati, L. Ortega, J. Vilà-Valls, F. Vincent, E. Chaumette, and L. Davain
Sensors 2020, 20(8), 2196 (DOI: 10.3390/s20082196).

2020 A New Compact Delay, Doppler Stretch and Phase Estimation CRB with a Band-Limited Signal for Generic Remote Sensing Applications
P. D. Rajkakati, J. Vilà-Valls, F. Vincent, L. Davain, E. Chaumette
Remote Sensing 2020, 12(18), 2913 (DOI: 10.3390/rs12182913).

2020 EMMIHS-III Mission General Overview
P. Das, M. V. Heemskerk, K. Edison, M. Musilova, L. Brasileiro, R. S. Heemskerk, B. H. Foing.
51st Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, The Woodlands, Texas.

2019 A Signal Processing Approach to GNSS Precise Positioning for Lunar Exploration
P. Das, B. Priot, J. Vilà-Valls and E. Chaumette
IAC 2019, Washington DC. Awarded the ESA ISEB grant.

2019 On the Accuracy Limit of Time-delay Estimation with a Band-limited Signal
P. Das; J. Vila-Valls; E. Chaumette; F. Vincent; L. Davain; S. Bonnabel
Remote Sensing 2020, 12(18), 2913 (DOI: 10.1109/icassp.2019.8682948).