Dr. Jan Thoemel is a Research Scientist and Head of the CubeSat Laboratory at SnT. Prior to joining the University of Luxembourg, he worked at the European Space Agency, the Royal Institute for Space Aeronomy, GomSpace and the von Karman Institute (VKI). At the latter, he taught for the Infrared Measurement Laboratory and the Propulsion Technology courses.

Thoemel received his Dipl.-Ing. degree from the Technical University of Berlin and his M.S. from the VKI. He earned his Ph.D. at the RWTH Aachen/VKI for researching the physics of gas surface interaction. He serves as an Associate Editor at the CEAS Space Journal and is a radio amateur.

Thoemel led several small and large space projects, among others, the QB50 CubeSat constellation mission where he discovered his interest in miniaturised satellites.

His research interests lie at the intersection of surface physics and system engineering. He investigates how aerodynamic and solar radiation forces can be used for orbital control to serve highly efficient remote sensing missions.