Bertrand Mennesson

About Bertrand Mennesson

I specialize in managing complex technical projects at the intersection of science and engineering—transforming advanced research into real-world scientific applications and products. With deep expertise in remote sensing, quantitative data analysis, optical coherence, high contrast and high resolution imaging, I’ve led multidisciplinary efforts across academia, NASA centers, and product teams.With two master’s degrees in engineering and a PhD in astronomy and space physics, I thrive as a translator between worlds—bridging scientists and engineers, customers and developers, ideas and execution. I bring a unique ability to distill technical complexity into strategic insights and actionable outcomes.My strengths include-Leading early-stage trade studies and system architecture evaluations (e.g, Kepner-Tregoe methodologies)- Driving innovation in instrumentation and data pipelines- Building alignment across diverse stakeholders to accelerate requirements definition, development and reduce riskI’m passionate about making numbers speak—uncovering insights from raw data to guide mission-critical decisions, whether in scientific R&D, product development, or applied engineering.I’m excited to explore opportunities where I can bring this systems-level thinking and collaborative approach to new challenges—in space, healthcare, deep tech, or data-driven innovation.See detailed resume at https://science.jpl.nasa.gov/people/Mennesson/

Experience

1. Principal Scientist

   NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

   Apr 2009 — Present

   JPL Section of Astrophysics and Space SciencesCurrently- Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope JPL Deputy Project Scientist. Roman is NASA\'s next Astrophysics flagship mission, scheduled to launch by 2027- Preformulation Scientist for the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO), NASA\'s next Astrophysics flagship mission after RomanPreviously- Co-chair of the Technical Assessment Group for the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO), NASA\'s next flagship Astrophysics mission after the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope- Center study scientist for the Habitable Exoplanet Imaging Mission (HabEx) concept study, one of 4 potential future flagship astronomy missions studied by NASA in preparation for the 2020 US Decadal Survey in Astronomy and Astrophysics. Co-chair of community-wide HabEx Science and Technology Definition Team. HabEx was one of the two concept studies that led to the recommendation of the HWO mission- Development of new data reduction, image processing algorithms, and statistical analysis tools for high spatial resolution & high contrast infrared imaging- Design, manufacturing, technical commissioning and scientific exploitation of new instruments used in infrared observational astronomy

Education

• Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Nancy

  MS, Physical Engineering: Energy, Materials Science, Applied maths

  1990 — 1993

• IFP School

  MS, Engineering: Petrochemistry, Polymers and Plastics

  1992 — 1993

• University of Arizona

  Astrophysics /Optics

  1995 — 1996

• Université Paris Cité

  MS, Astrophysics and Space Techniques

  1993 — 1994

• Université Paris Cité

  PhD, Astrophysics / Optics

  1996 — 1999