Mario De Stefano Fumo

Dr. Mario De Stefano Fumo is a Senior Researcher at the Italian Aerospace Research Centre (CIRA) and serves as Deputy Head of the Materials and Thermal Structures for Space Applications Unit within the Space Division. His responsibilities include the management of Research and Development (R&D) projects focused on high-temperature materials and structures, as well as overseeing the development and qualification of advanced Thermal Protection Systems (TPS) for space re-entry and hypersonic vehicles. He currently serves as System & Technology Manager for the ceramic TPS of Space Rider, the reusable re-entry vehicle funded by the European Space Agency (ESA). Before joining CIRA in 2011, he spent one year at Thales Alenia Space (Turin) as a Development and Qualification Engineer for the Thermal Protection System of the Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle (IXV). Prior to that, he was a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Naples Federico II, specializing in Aerothermodynamics, Thermal Protection Systems, and Re-entry Systems. He earned both his Master’s Degree and Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Naples. He is the author of more than 80 papers published in international journals and conference proceedings and is co-inventor of two patents related to the manufacturing process of C/SiC (Carbon/ Silicon Carbide) composites.