Join us for drinks and canapés at the FASI Air and Space Careers Night on Tuesday 20th January 2026 from 18.00 - 20.30 in the River Room, King's Building, Strand Campus.

Hosted by the Freeman Air & Space Institute (FASI), this annual event will convene air and space professionals – many of whom are King’s alumni – and students from across the university in a speed networking format.

Through direct and intimate conversations with industry heavy weights, military commanders, media commentators, thought leaders and many more, you will have the opportunity to discover and pursue diverse careers in air and space.

Our experts will be on hand to meet, discuss, evaluate and provide awareness around the large scope of opportunities across the industry.

This is your chance to get tailored and candid advice from those in the know.

Book your place here: Select tickets – Air and Space Careers Night 2026 – King's College London, Strand Campus

Please note this event is only open to KCL current students - please use your KCL email address when booking your place.

Meet the experts...

Maggie Appleton – CEO of the Royal Air Force Museum

Maggie has been CEO of the RAF Museum since 2015 and is passionate about the difference museums can make to people’s lives. Following a history degree from the University of Liverpool and a Masters in Heritage Management from Birmingham University, she has served museums and the wider cultural sector for over 30 years. Following her first role at the Royal Armouries, she pursued her career as a social history curator, museum director and then CEO at Stevenage and Luton.

Maggie is a past President of the UK’s Museums Association, a previous Co-Chair of the Women Leaders in Museums Network and is currently a judge for the Museums+Heritage Awards. She is also the National Museum Directors Council’s environmental lead.

Air Commodore Patrick Shea-Simonds OBE MA FRAeS FIKE RAF - Head of Capability Futures, Royal Air Force

Air Commodore Patrick Shea-Simonds was initially commissioned into the Royal Anglian Regiment (1st and 3rd Battalions) from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Following regimental duty and operational tours with the Army in Germany, the UK, Northern Ireland, and Bosnia, he transferred to the RAF in 1997, joining the RAF Regiment.

Following his time at the Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS), he returned to HQ Air Command as DACOS Capability Plans, overseeing the RAF equipment programme during the Integrated Review. He later served as Deputy Head of the RAF Rapid Capabilities Office, focusing on innovation and emerging technologies.

Upon promotion to Air Commodore, he became Head of Capability Futures and subsequently also assumed command of the RAF’s Rapid Capabilities Office. He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2024 New Year’s Honours and is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society.

Dr Victoria Taylor - Broadcaster & Author, Aviation Historian

Dr Victoria Taylor is an award-winning aviation historian, broadcaster and writer specialising in the Royal Air Force and the Luftwaffe. She is the author of 'Eagle Days: Life and Death for the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain', which featured on The Telegraph's 'Greatest Books of 2025' list. She previously taught as part of KCL's Defence Studies Department at the Defence Academy, Shrivenham. Victoria is an Assistant Editor for the Royal Aeronautical Society's 'Journal of Aeronautical History' and sits on the Advisory Board for the cross-party Spitfire AA810 restoration project in the House of Lords. She is an Ambassador for both the National Spitfire Project and the RAF Charitable Trust.

Emma Torbitt-McNay - Principal Advisor - Air Systems Programme, DSTL

Emma Torbitt-McNay is a Principal Advisor for the Air Systems Research Programme in Defence Science Technology Laboratory (Dstl). Emma has worked for Dstl since 2008 and has devoted that time to developing Air Analysis capability, the UK Defence Exploitation Facility (UK DEF) and the Forensics Explosives Laboratory (FEL). She is formerly Army Intelligence Corps (Imagery analysis), has led the Air Operational Analysis & Decision Support team, winning MOD Analysis team of the year 2024 and is trained in unmanned aircraft system (UAS) and digital media exploitation.

Chris Carter - Space policy analyst & evaluation expert, RAND Europe

Chris Carter-Gordon is a space policy analyst and evaluation expert at RAND Europe. He specialises in assessing and communicating the value, impact and efficiency of policy interventions in the UK and EU space sectors and has worked on numerous projects for the UK Space Agency, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and the European Commission, among other clients. He has a Master’s degree in Science, Technology and Environmental Policy from the University of Minnesota and a degree in Geophysics from Imperial College London. He was a US-UK Fulbright Scholar in the 2021-2022 cohort.

Wing Commander Sas Duffin - Space Strategy, UK Space Command

Wing Commander Sas Duffin started her RAF career in 2005 after a civilian career in business management and public relations that spanned 14 years.    Starting out her military career as a Personnel Officer, her first tour was at RAF Cottesmore with Joint Force Harrier as the Station Adjutant, followed by a stint as Officer Commanding Accounts Flight. 

Promoted to Wing Commander in Feb 2020, alongside selection for Advanced Staff Training.  A year at Defence Academy Shrivenham saw completion of a Masters in Defence Studies, with a dissertation that focused on the language and narrative of Space, and why it matters.  That research drove Duffin to consider further work in the form of a PhD, and as a result she was selected as one of the first, of two, Space Fellows with her period of research starting in Oct 2022.  This research will focus on the contribution of national culture on the development of norms of behaviour in Space, and its potential impact on national strategies. 

Dani Prieto - RUSI NextGen Programme and Membership Account Manager, RUSI

Dani Prieto is the RUSI NextGen Programme and Membership Account Manager. She previously held the role of Event Manager at RUSI. Before joining RUSI, Dani worked in communications and administrative roles at the British Geriatrics Society, The Law Society of England & Wales, Touro College Berlin and The Princeton Club of New York. She studied Public Relations and Communications at EU Business School in Barcelona and holds a Masters in Human Rights Law from Birkbeck, University of London.

Sir Mike Wigston - Visiting Professor, Freeman Air and Space Institute, King’s College London

Sir Mike Wigston is a member of the Board of Directors of MyDefence, a Danish drone defence company; he is a Strategic Advisor to Faculty AI, a UK AI software and consultancy firm; a Senior Advisor with Intrepid Growth Partners, investing in AI companies at the growth stage; an Associate at Earendel Associates, advising on geopolitics and space; and he is a Visiting Professor at the Freeman Air and Space Power Institute within King’s College London’s School of Security Studies. He retired as Chief of the Air Staff, the 4* professional head of the Royal Air Force, in 2023 after an extended 4-year term in office.

Lucinda Williams -  Head of Social Value & Sustainability, Airbus

Lucinda leads the delivery of Social Value for Airbus Defence and Space in the UK, ensuring that the commitments made maximise impact and align with business drivers, such as shifting the dial on diversity. Her degree in Social Policy from the London School of Economics and role as a Warfare Officer in the Royal Navy, ensure she is particularly passionate about generating equity of opportunity for under-represented groups in the defence and space sector. With 25 years under her belt in Airbus, Lucinda also now wears a Sustainability hat, with a focus on improving circularity of spacecraft manufacturing, and she co-chairs Airbus' Community for Space Prosperity (CUSP) initiative, which Inspires, Connects and Grows the UK space ecosystem of SMEs and future talent. A military spouse for 27 years, Lucinda is a keen advocate of serving and retired females as well as military spouses, all supported by Airbus' Armed Forces Covenant and Employer Recognition Scheme activities.  

If you have any questions, please contact FASI@kcl.ac.uk. We look forward to seeing you there!

Based in the School of Security Studies, the Freeman Air and Space Institute is an interdisciplinary initiative dedicated to generating an understanding of air and space power affairs in defence and security. To keep informed about the latest research, opportunities and events from FASI, subscribe to their mailing list.