Dr Nigel Ponsford-Stand, EngD, DSc, is the youngest ever winner of the prestigious Kepler Prize. Nigel applied his cosmology background to the practicalities of engineering, with a focus on astronautics. Working under the eminent physicist, Ramon Raquello, Nigel expanded his studies to include Near-Earth Object (NEO) exploration which brought him into contact with the work of Bradford Rant. He joined the Institute in 2003.