Team ÆRTH
Adina Popescu
Founder / CEO
Adina is the founder & CEO of ÆRTH. She is a philosopher by training, a technologist and a public speaker. Adina has previously advised Media Arts Lab/ Apple, as well as Conservation International, on the future of immersive and deep technologies.
As a public speaker, she keeps delivering lectures on ethics in relation to the future of AI, global data sharing and privacy-preserving protocols for sensitive data.
In the past, Adina has advised organizations such as Paramount Studios and McKinsey, focusing on the exploration of the future of technology, from immersion to AI.
Brandon Levy
Head of Partnerships
Brandon is a globally recognized sustainability leader. During his tenure as Chief Program Officer and Head of Global Engagement at Sustainable Ocean Alliance, he played a key role in supporting the next generation of ocean innovators, establishing a grant and investment program that distributed over $5 million USD to 400+ projects across 70+ countries. While at New Energy Nexus, Brandon managed funds and professional development programs for clean energy entrepreneurs, including operationalizing a $48M seed investment fund for early-stage startups. A sought-after speaker, Brandon has lectured and led workshops at prestigious institutions and conferences, including the UN, NASA, Goldman Sachs, UC Berkeley, and COP26/27.
Levi Rybalov
Distributed technology, verifiable computing & game theory
Levi is the founder of CoopHive, which is building the foundations of the cybernetic future. He collaborates with ÆRTH to tackle challenges in global science-based cooperation. Levi has experience in mechanism design, distributed and verifiable computing, energy-water economics, and a lifelong interest in conservation. Before founding CoopHive, he was a research scientist at Protocol Labs working at the intersection of game theory and distributed computing networks.
His contribution to ÆRTH
centers around privacy-preserving computing, incentive mechanisms for scientists and other stakeholders, and multi-disciplinary coordination.
Graham Lee
Systems Architecture
Graham is a creative, data-oriented technologist. He holds a Bachelor's in Physics at UC San Diego. In his roles as a Lead Solutions Architect, Product Manager, and Data Scientist at companies like YouTube, QuinStreet, and System1, He has played an integral role in the development of backend algorithms and ML/AI systems that moved the bottom line significantly.
Tina Reiterer
Business and financial modeling
Tina is a Data Analytics Consultant and Executive Board member of Sharkproject International, a global shark and marine conservation organization. Based in the EU, she holds a Master's degree in Supply Chain Management from the Vienna University of Economics and Business. Tina's expertise lies in mathematical modeling, operations research, process automatization, and finance. Her contribution to ÆRTH focuses on business and financial modeling, as well as developing global ocean partnerships.
Nick Morten Podratz
IT & Engineering
Nick is a software engineer with academic background in IT-Systems Engineering and Physics. He holds a B.Sc. degree from Hasso Plattner Institute where his thesis explored real-time applications of DNA sequencing technology at Robert Koch Institute. His scientific endeavours led him to contribute to a Nature publication. Nick holds a certificate in Design Thinking. In a previous role, Nick created stage wear for the Super Bowl and dressed icons of Pop-culture.
Daniel Illner
ML & Data Engineering
Daniel is a machine learning engineer. He holds a master's in Robotics, Cognition and Intelligence from Technical University Munich. His research spans Computation, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Neuroscience, Mind, and Philosophy as a former Harvard research fellow.
ÆRTH Advisory Board
Dr. Newton H. Campbell Jr.
Remote Sensing – Director at AROSE space consortium
Newton Campbell Jr. is a nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab and the director of space programs at the Australian Remote Operations for Space and Earth Consortium. Campbell began his career supporting US Department of Defense (DOD) research programs, primarily with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. For ten years, he served as principal investigator and technical lead of multiple DOD research programs, developing new technologies in the domains of internet privacy, Internet of Things, and cyber-physical systems. After DOD, Campbell served as an artificial intelligence (AI) subject matter expert for the NASA Langley Research Center Office of the Chief Information Officer Data Science Team.
Jack Healey
Human Rights Frameworks
Jack Healey, known as "Mr. Human Rights", served as Director of Amnesty International for 12 years.
He is best known as the organizer of Amnesty's benefit concerts in the 1980's featuring bands like U2, the Police, Peter Gabriel, Bruce Springsteen, Sting, Sinead O’Connor, Bob Dylan, Santana, Tracy Chapman and others
Jurgen Valckenaere
Reef Systems & Coastal Environment Specialist
Jurgen is a Reef Systems & Coastal Environment Specialist
He is a PhD candidate at the University of Western Australia, working within the Wernberg Lab and the UWA Oceans Institute. His research focuses on future-proofing temperate reef systems and coastal environments.
With over a decade of international experience, Jurgen advocates for integrating regenerative strategies, fostering collaboration, and leveraging innovative technologies to promote the long-term health of our marine environments while supporting societal growth.
Alan Jamieson
Deep Sea Science, Technology and Exploration
Minderoo / UWA / Inkfish
Alan Jamieson is Professor at The Oceans Institute at the University of Western Australia and founding Director of the Minderoo UWA Deep Sea Research Centre. He is an international authority on the deepest places in the oceans known as the ‘hadal zone’, meaning depths between 6000 and 11,000 metres. He has published over 120 peer reviewed scientific papers and has participated in nearly 70 deep-sea expeditions spanning every ocean. He also pioneered the design, construction and operations of the full ocean depth Hadal-Landers and has deployed these baited camera systems over 500 times throughout the world’s deepest trenches. Since 2018 he has been the Chief Scientist of the DSSV Pressure Drop, notably during the round-the-world Five Deeps Expedition (2018-19) and the follow-on Ring of Fire expeditions (2020-present).
Eamonn Store
Advisor to CEO
Eamonn is the founder of FairShare and the former CEO of The Guardian, North America. At FairShare, he is committed to designing and implementing enterprise-level business programs that generate significant benefits for both communities and the environment, which he believes are crucial for the future health of our society and planet.
Currently, Eamonn is focused on mentoring dynamic leaders in youth movements and founders of early-stage startups that target global solutions. As both a professional and amateur sailor, he is also a passionate advocate for ocean health.
ÆRTH Partners
