Dr. Thurid Mannel

Institute: Space Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences

Role: Project Leader, Principal Investigator

Dr. Thurid Mannel is a specialist in the field of cometary dust and space borne atomic force microscopy. She is the Principal Investigator of the MIDAS atomic force microscope. Dr. Thurid Mannel did her PhD in this FWF project and is now a postdoctoral researcher.

Dr. Mark Bentley

Institute: Previously Space Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences,
now European Space Astronomy Centre ESA – ESAC

Role: Previous project leader, previous Principal Investigator of MIDAS

Dr. Mark Bentley is a specialist for comets and their dust, space borne atomic force microscopy, space weathering, comets and small bodies, as well as the design of space instruments. Dr. Mark Bentley attracted the funding for this project and was the initial project lead. He passed on the leadership of MIDAS and this FWF project to Dr. Thurid Mannel as he switched the position to work at the European Space Astronomy Centre as a BepiColombo Data Analysis Scientist.