Daniele Dequal

Talks

Overview of quantum activities at ESA

An overview of ongoing quantum technology activities at the European Space Agency.

Brief introduction on ESA funding schemes

A brief overview of funding opportunities and schemes available through ESA.

Biography

Daniele Dequal is Lead QKD Payload & User Segment Engineer for the SAGA programme within the Connectivity and Secure Communication Directorate (CSC) at the European Space Agency (ESA).

Since 2013, he has been active in satellite quantum communication research, first at the University of Padua and later at the Italian Space Agency. He contributed to the first experimental demonstration of satellite-to-ground quantum communication, the first single-photon transmissions from MEO and GNSS orbits, and the development of the first Italian Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) receiver for satellite applications.

In 2023, he joined ESA as a System Engineer working on the IRIS2 programme and supporting SAGA and EuroQCI as a QKD expert. He received his M.S. in Physics in 2009 and his Ph.D. in Physics in 2013, both from the University of Padua.