We are pleased to announce the WIA-Europe Awards & Grants recipients for 2026! Congratulations to Heba Gaballa and Alissa Potts.
WIA-Europe is devoted to supporting its members through a variety of initiatives that encourage emerging talent and support professionals dedicated to growing a gender-balanced aerospace community and advancing the aerospace industry as a whole. The WIA-Europe Awards & Grants program is designed to support upcoming talent, both young professionals and students alike.
WIA-Europe would like to thank everyone who submitted a Grants and Awards application. We received a strong field of applications, all of a high standard, reflecting the breadth of talent across our community. We appreciate the time and effort that went into each submission.
Student Conference Grant:
The WIA-Europe Student Conference Grant is designed to provide financial assistance to Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD students in Europe, enabling them to attend an international workshop or conference for the first time and present their paper on aerospace topics.
2026 Recipient: Heba Gaballa
Heba Gaballa was selected for the Student Conference Grant in recognition of her outstanding research achievements, strong motivation, and exceptional potential as an early-career aerospace professional. With two papers accepted at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) 2026, one oral and one interactive presentation, she will showcase her research to the global space community while being an excellent ambassador for WIA-Europe. Her work focuses on satellite navigation and lunar exploration, advancing innovative solutions to support future human and robotic missions to the Moon.
Heba Gaballa is a Master’s student in the ESPACE program at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), with a background in aerospace engineering. She previously worked as a Space Systems Engineer, contributing to the development and operations of Earth observation satellite missions. Her academic interests include spacecraft navigation, mission design, and the broader role of EO space missions in solving real-world challenges.
Inspirational Project Award:
The WIA-Europe Inspirational Award aims to engage WIA-Europe members and encourage them to promote aerospace and inspire future generations.
2026 Recipient: Alissa Potts
Alissa Pott received the Inspirational Award for her highly innovative and impactful approach to science communication. Her project stood out for its creative integration of space science, education, storytelling, and magic, making complex topics in astrobiology both engaging and accessible to audiences that are often underrepresented in STEM. Her project stood out because of the originality of her approach, its strong outreach potential, and its clear alignment with WIA-Europe’s mission. The project is supported by a well-developed implementation plan, clear and measurable impact targets, and a strong commitment to inclusivity, particularly in reaching girls and underserved communities. The initiative aims to engage at least 1,000 participants, demonstrating both ambition and scalability in its outreach goals.
Alissa’s project, Drake’s Dice, is an innovative science communication initiative that combines an educational board game with a live science magic show to explore astrobiology and the search for life beyond Earth. The board game immerses participants in authentic scientific challenges such as data interpretation, uncertainty, and peer review, using the Drake Equation as a guiding framework. In parallel, the accompanying magic performance uses illusion and storytelling to spark curiosity and make complex scientific concepts more approachable and memorable.
Alissa Pott is a Master’s student in Planetary Science and Space Exploration at Freie Universität Berlin, where she focuses on astrobiology and the probability of finding life in the Universe.In her spare time, she strives to explain complex subjects to general audiences using games, theater, and magic tricks. Qualified for the national finals of FameLab 2026, she presents science in an engaging way: from space missions and the composition of the Universe to quantum physics, nothing is too complex to be shared.Drake’s Dice is her first game, a serious game to teach about how research works and what is the current state of space science. Extended by a magic introduction, Drake’s Dice will go to schools and large audience event to tell it’s story.
We look forward to next year’s cycle of the WIA-Europe Grants and Awards applicants!
