Creation of OrbitRise
Introduction
Academic Track Record
Introduction
Prof. (Hon) Dr. Mini C. Rai is the founding Director of OrbitRise and brings nearly 30 years of research and innovation experience in space engineering and technology. She is an internationally renowned roboticist, space engineer, innovator, strategic advisor and business consultant specialising in cross-domain industrial automation, control and manufacturing.
She is an external reviewer and project monitoring officer for the UK Research and Innovation, European Commission, Belgian Science Policy Office, Royal Higher Institute for Defence Belgium, Research Foundation – Flanders Belgium Frank De Winne PhD Fellowships, Belgium and Swedish National Space Agency.
Leadership
Academic Track Record
Introduction
Prof. Rai is a visionary leader who advocates innovation-driven research and development for commercialisation. Her visionary leadership and passion for building real-world solutions inspired her to launch OrbitRise, reflecting her ingrained desire to apply her knowledge and skills in the commercial world.
With a proven research, innovation, and enterprise track record, Prof. Rai has established an exemplary reputation as a mover and shaker bridging industry and academia. She is experienced in strategic leadership roles and served as a Distinguished Professor, Global Chair in Robotics and a senior member of the university leadership team at the University of Lincoln.
Academic Track Record
Academic Track Record
Academic Track Record
Since September 2024, Prof. Rai has been an Honorary Professor at the University of Lincoln, UK, where she previously held the esteemed full-time position of Distinguished Professor and Global Chair in Robotic Engineering (2019-2024). She was an Associate Professor and Head of Robotics and Control at the Surrey Space Centre, UK (2005-2019). Prof. Rai was awarded a PhD by the world-renowned Indian Institute of Technology Bombay in 2003.
Over the last two decades, she led several winning studies as Principal Investigator and Co-Investigator (totalling £5.1M) and has 124 peer-reviewed international journal and conference papers to her credit. She has line-managed fifteen full-time Post-Doctoral Research Associates and successfully supervised Thirteen PhD students. In 2013, the University of Surrey awarded her the prestigious Vice-Chancellor’s Teaching Excellence award for her outstanding teaching skills.
External Partnerships and Engagement
Prof. Rai has a proven track record in leading research in collaboration with over 100 entities, including over 50 businesses, in multi-national projects. She is active in stakeholder engagement (regional, national, and international) and directs strategic partnerships (Government-Industry-Academia) and knowledge exchange (Industry-Academia) across the space, energy, agri-food, and health sectors. Since 2023, Prof. Rai is a member of the UK All-Party Parliamentary and Scientific Committee.
Her extensive experience working with C-level executives, space agencies, stakeholders, investors, and regulators uniquely positions her to drive business and support a broad range of clients nationally and globally. Prof. Rai is one of the founding members of the UKspace In-Orbit Servicing, Assembly and Manufacturing industry working group.