About
NABTAPLAYA
Located in Germany, the research institute of Nabta Playa (e.V.) is founded according to the German Federal Law § 52 Abs. 2 Nr. 1 AO with the purpose of the association to promote science and research in the field of Space technology specifically in the analysis of Earth Observation Data. Data Science is at the core of our software innovation research by studying thousands of gigabytes of satellite data.
We support basic research in the interest of the general public in the Space related downstream applications.
A name associated with a history! The inspiration of the name 'NabtaPlaya' came from a historical story that relates to our research purposes of today. For thousands of years, ancient societies all around the world erected massive stone circles, aligning them with the sun and stars to mark the seasons. These early calendars foretold the coming of spring, summer, fall and winter, helping civilizations track when to plant and harvest crops. Located in Africa, Nabta Playa stands some 800 kilometers south of the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt. It was built more than 7,000 years ago, making Nabta Playa the oldest stone circle in the world — and possibly Earth’s oldest astronomical observatory.
Our organization consists of a executive board of three and of serveral volunteering contributers. Our work is the guidence and coordination of students research projects contributing to the vision of Nabta Playa via advanced research in Earth observation and remote sensing.
EXECUTIVE MEMBERS
Norman Kohnemann
Board Member
Developer at SAP, responsible for Master Data Governance area. Current tasks are customer development support & continuous feature and code improvements.
Norman holds a Master of Engineering in Telecommunication Engineering from University of Applied Sciences of Aachen
Marcel Winzen
Board Member
Functional Test Engineer at Airbus, programming the System Software Test of Projects like EarthCARE and the first Mars Rover of Europe 'Rosalind Franklin'. In his free time he build an algorithm to hunt for exoplanents within Kepler science data.
Marcel holds a MSc. degree in Aerospace Engineering from RWTH Aachen University.
Sherif elSayed
Board Member
Functional Test Engineer at Airbus Defense and Space, Responsible for preparation and execution of Satellite tests on a system and subsystem level. Being specialized on scientific instruments, he is mainly working on Earth observation satellites like Sentinel-2, Sentinel-6 and EarthCare from Copernicus programme.
Additionally Sherif is a former researcher at the earth observation center of the German Aerospace center (DLR).
Sherif holds a master degree in space engineering and satellite application.
CORE TEAM
We are passionate about research and have roles in multinational companies. This helps us link research with the practical world.
Dennis D'Argento
Airbus Space & Defence
Instrument Test Engineer at Airbus Defense and Space. Responsible for functional and performance testing of the Sentinel-1 SAR Instrument. Experience in RF measurements and real-time-beam-control of phase array antennas.
Dennis holds a master degree in Systems Engineering from the HTWG Konstanz and the DHBW Ravensburg. He is also leading the development of the DHBW CubeSat SeeSat.
Diaa Abdelaziz
SAP
Global Head of Product Management & Strategy at SAP, Responsible for defining and executing the global software strategy and product development within Digital Supply Chain Planning unit. Part of his role is co-innovating and ideating with Fortune 100 companies on new software capabilities. Diaa is reporting to SAP senior executive team.
Diaa Holds a MSc. degree in Informatics from University of Mannheim and has academic publications in Enterprise Systems.
Karim ElSafty
Vodafone
Lead solutions archetict at Vodafone, responsible for overall Cloud strategy and governance across all European Clusters.
Also, a Certefied Google cloud trainer, enabling customers on their Goto Market journey on Google cloud infrastructure and ML
Karim holds a double degree masters in "Engineering and Policy analysis" from TU Delft and Comillas University in Madrid specializing in renewable energy introduction in the EU from Federal university in Rio De Janero
Mohamed Anwar
Mercedes Benz Software Hub
Product Owner in the automotive industry, responsible for developing software solutions that enable autonomous driving across a global fleet of vehicles. He is passionate about leveraging cutting-edge technology to transform mobility and improve driving experiences.
He is also an experienced software developer with a strong enthusiasm for crafting high-quality code that powers next-generation systems. Beyond his professional pursuits, Anwar enjoys exploring creative outlets through cooking, singing, and long-distance running.
Linda Ochwada
Hansa Luftbild
Tech enthusiast with +10 years in the Geospatial industry and thrilled when working on GeoAI-related projects.
Highly experienced in Geoinformatics, Climate innovation, and entrepreneurship. Linda became a honorable member of Nabta Playa in January 2023.
Leona Tenkhoff
London School of Economics
Researcher with experience in the group “Sustainable Use of Natural Resources” at Technical University Berlin and "Die Junge Akademie".
Leona is completing her M.Sc. in Environmental Economics at the London School of Economics with a thesis on the welfare effects of delaying methane damages through temporary offsets in soils.
Dr. Atena Haghighattalab
Atena is committed to driving innovation at the intersection of technology, remote sensing, agriculture, and food security. She holds a Master’s in Remote Sensing Engineering from Iran and a Ph.D. in Geography from Kansas State University.
Her expertise lies in leveraging advanced engineering technologies to enhance food security in impoverished and developing nations. Atena has extensive experience collaborating with international nonprofits and NGOs, leading successful initiatives that deploy cutting-edge solutions to address crucial agricultural challenges
Nadine Bibawi
Regional Development Manager at a Washington DC-based nonprofit, dedicated to providing education access to marginalized communities. Nadine focuses on developing fundraising strategies, outreach plans, and maintaining stakeholder relations to enhance the overall regional income growth.
With a background in information technology, fundraising, and international development, Nadine holds a Master of Public Administration (MPA) from the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University in the City of New York.
Dr. Hans Yu
Tesla
Senior Data Engineer at Tesla. End-to-end design and implementation of data systems for battery cell manufacturing at Fremont, Austin and Berlin.
Hans holds a master degree in Energy Engineering from RWTH Aachen University, and a PhD degree from the University of Cambridge.
Ahmed Nour PhD
Esri Saudi Arabia
" I am an Experienced GeoAI Engineer & Big Data & GIS Developer, supporting in these topics.”
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Full member of Nabta Playa since April 2023
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Dynamic professional serving as the GeoAI and Business lead for national gov and natural resource sectors
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Seasoned expert in the fields of machine learning, deep learning, and computer vision
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Deep-rooted knowledge of GIS, coupled with a profound understanding of imagery. This positions him as a bridge between cutting-edge technology and practical, real-world applications
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Driven by a passion for innovation and a commitment to driving growth and development in the field of Geospatial technology
Ahmed Daker
"I am a data enthusiast. I hope someday that I can use data science to help in solving real-world problems.”
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Honorable member of Nabta Playa since March 2023
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Chief Data Officer at Egypt Healthcare Authority
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Interest in data science and programming
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Certified AWS, GCP, and Microsoft Azure
Daniel Riad
Ernst & Young
As a senior consultant and Data Scientist at EY, Daniel is helping drive innovation and disruption particularly for tax and law, through AI and machine learning. Daniel has led and driven multiple analytics projects and initiatives successfully in the last few years and consulted multiple customers in different sectors on new technologies.
Daniel has graduated from the University of Mannheim with a Masters Degree in Business Informatics, specialized in Data Science.