Dr. George Profitiliotis

George Profitiliotis, Ph.D. is an Electrical and Computer Engineer, trained in Interdisciplinary Environmental Studies, Biomimetics, and Strategic Innovation Management. He is Research Scientist at Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, a SETI Post-Detection Hub Affiliate, Cofounder of the Greek NewSpace Society, and is a Speculative Fiction Author writing horror novelettes and short stories.

At Blue Marble Space Institute as an Affiliate Research Scientist, George is participating as an International Collaborator in the “Develop systematic projections for anticipating Technosignatures development using methods from the discipline of future studies” subproject of the NASA Exobiology-funded overall CATS: Characterizing Atmospheric Technosignatures project, along with PI Adam Frank and CO-I Jacob Haqq-Misra. Read The Search for Intelligent Life Is About to Get a Lot More Interesting and Technosignatures as a Priority in Planetary Science: A White Paper for the Planetary Science Decadal Survey 2020.

He is also developing a futures literacy workshop and co-developing a science communication & futures workshop for the International Astronomical Union & Kavli Foundation “IAUS 387: (Toward) Discovery of life beyond Earth and its impact” Symposium as a member of the Scientific Organizing Committee.

George joined the Blue Marble Space Institute of Science in 2020 where he began as Visiting Scholar, advised by Senior Research Investigator Dr. Jacob Haqq-Misra. Since then he has worked on several projects. Among others he:

• was invited to speak about “Space Ethics and Biology” during the 3rd Hybrid Meeting of the NCSR Demokritos IRB on “Contemporary Ethical and Legal Issues in Biology and Medicine”;
• empirically explored the future of space activities and preservation on Mars, using the Policy Delphi method. Read The Future of Space Activities and Preservation on Mars: a Preliminary Policy Delphi Study;
• authored the Role of Futures Studies to Space Exploration section of the Future of Life in the Solar System and Beyond chapter for the New Frontiers in Astrobiology book;
• co-organized the Post-detection for the 2020s: fundamentals, current concerns, and new discussions breakout session for The First Penn State SETI Symposium in 2022 and delivered a Post-detection Exploratory Foresight Workshop;
• participated in the 1st Annual International Space Ecology Workshop 2022. Watch the 2022 Space Ecology Workshop;
• was Invited Speaker at the “Applied Ethics, Research, Technoscience, and Engineering Ethics” workshop of the NTUA in November 2022, speaking on the theme of “Space ethics: anticipatory approaches for the ethics of the search for extraterrestrial life”;
• designed and delivered a Futures Literacy Lab on the “Futures of the Search for Technosignatures in 2045” for SETI scientists;
• co-organized the “The Alien in the Machine: Post-Detection in the Era of AI” breakout session for the second Penn State SETI Symposium in 2023 and delivered a “Futures Literacy Workshop on the Futures of SETI”.

In the summer of 2023, George became Futures Fellows at UNDP, a 6-month part-time fellowship supporting the strategic foresight activities of the UNDP Strategy and Futures Team.

At the end of 2022, George joined the SETI Post-Detection Hub of the University of St Andrews, an initiative of the UK SETI Research Network that is jointly hosted by the St Andrews Centre for Exoplanet Science and the Centre for Global Law and Governance.

George is leading the Scenario development activities of the Hub using strategic foresight approaches and participating in the “Other Biologies – More than Human”, “Impact and Risk Strategies”, “Post-Detection Regulation”, and “Human Factors: Philosophy, Anthropology, Psychology & Sociology” Working Groups.

George is the Co-Founder of the Greek NewSpace Society, a Chapter of the National Space Society. He was Secretary-General and Director of Research & Education until 2020 and Honorary Member and Advisor to the Board of Directors since then.

Along his Professional and Academic interests, George is also a Speculative Fiction Author writing Horror novelettes and short stories — with Speculative Biology, and Dark Fantasy overtones based on ancient myths, folklore, and urban legends, using Gothic, Magical Realistic, and Neo-Baroque narrative styles. He published under the pen name Atreus Limvros. Visit his Goodreads Author Profile.

Previously, George was Foresight Expert at the Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas (PRAXI Network) where he supported the UNESCO Chair on Futures Research in Greece for almost three years.

He was involved in strategic foresight and futures literacy activities such as speaking at the UN World Space Forum as an invited panelist on the value of Futures Literacy and “Outer Space Literacy” for achieving sustainability in space for sustainability on Earth, running a Masterclass on Horizon Scanning for the UN HLCP Foresight Network, building the “State of the Future Index” for Greece (SOFI-GR), and much more.

George was also appointed Horizon Europe NCP for Space, Research Infrastructures, and European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), by the General Secretariat for Research and Innovation.

George earned his Ph.D. in Planetary Protection Policy Valuation with his work Ex-Ante Economic Valuation of a National Planetary Protection Policy for Private Space Activities in 2020. He earned his Master’s Degree of Science in Environment and Development in 2016 and his Engineering’s Degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering in 2014, all three from the National Technical University of Athens. In 2016, he earned his Professional Development Diploma, Tech miniMBA in Leading Strategic Innovation from Athens Information Technology.

Between 2021 and 2023, he did his Postdoctoral Research at the Department of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Law of the National Technical University of Athens with his work on Anticipation in the Search for Extraterrestrial Life.

He is currently working on his second PostDoc conducting research under the theme of “Anticipating the Effects of Advanced Technologies”, particularly Quantum Technologies and generative Artificial Intelligence, in the research group of Design Aesthetics, department of Human-Centered Design, faculty of Industrial Design Engineering at TUDelft. Read The Future Scenarios Project A Pioneering Leap Into The (Quantum) Future.

George was one of the winners of Quantum’s Got Talent ‘23 with his speculative future design project in the form of a fascinating interactive installation “The Quantum Oracle”.

Throughout his career, George has received numerous honors, awards, prizes, scholarships, and distinctions in the fields of space exploration, general academic excellence, innovation & entrepreneurship, and literature.

He was the First Place Winner of the ActInSpace International hackathonin Athens, Greece, for solving the challenge “No.CNES04: Remote control by magnetic movement”; First Place Winner of the National Finals; Third Place Winner of the International Finals, and received incubation services through the si-Cluster Accelerator of Corallia with his project idea: “Magnetic Gesture Observation System: MaGOS”, later becoming a business idea. Read FabSpace 2.0 Greece team joint forces with the MaGOS team.

George was also the Third Place Winner of the Paper Competition for the Journal of Science Policy & Governance with his Policy Memo Anticipatory Science Diplomacy as a Governance and Cooperation Mechanism for the Search for Extraterrestrial Life.

Read Measuring the economic benefits of a national planetary protection policy to regulate future private space activities between Earth and Mars: Results of a contingent valuation survey in Greece and Four Alternative Scenarios of Commons in Space: Prospects and Challenges.

Read Our alumnus George Profitiliotis is the Winner of the 2018 Space is Business Competition and An alumnus of ECE NTUA and his team win the 2nd Place Award of the COSMOTE Hackathon 2018.

Read The monstrosity of the search for extraterrestrial life: Preparing for a future discovery, Testing the ‘Thing from The Future Minecraft Education edition’ with secondary education students, and SDG 15 Life On Land (the winning entry for the UNOOSA Space4Youth 2019 competition)

Watch HLCP Futures Masterclasses Pilot 2022–2023: Horizon Scanning and SciPol SoundBites – Episode 4: George Profitiliotis – Planetary Protection.

Visit his LinkedIn profile, Publication page, and his ResearchGate profile. Follow him on Instagram.