Pini Gurfil
Pinchas Gurfil is an Israeli professor of aerospace engineering at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. He was the head of the Asher Space Research Institute and the director of the Adelis-SAMSON satellite project. In addition to his academic work, Gurfil has published Hebrew-language poetry and is active as a singer-songwriter.
Education
Gurfil received all three of his academic degrees from the Technion Faculty of Aerospace Engineering. He earned his BSc in 1994, his MSc in 1998, and his PhD in 2000. From 2000 to 2003, he was a postdoctoral associate at Princeton University in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, under the guidance of N. Jeremy Kasdin.Academic career
Gurfil holds the Shirley & Burt Harris Chair and serves as a chaired professor in Technion's Faculty of Aerospace Engineering. He joined the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering at the Technion in 2004. He was promoted to full professor in 2018. From 2015 to 2020, he served as the head of the Asher Space Research Institute.Gurfil is an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, a Full Member of the International Academy of Astronautics, and a Member of the International Astronomical Union.
Research
Gurfil's research focuses on astrodynamics, spacecraft orbital mechanics, guidance, navigation and control, and space systems engineering. A significant area of his work involves satellite formation flying, including research on operating multiple coordinated satellites using natural forces such as atmospheric drag, and research on fractionated spacecraft, for which Gurfil received a highly-competitive grant from the European Research Council. While at Princeton University, Gurfil worked on NASA's Terrestrial Planet Finder formation-flying mission.As head of the Asher Space Research Institute, he led the Adelis- SAMSON space mission, the first-ever initiative to design, build, and launch three autonomous coordinated nanosatellites. The project, a collaboration with the Israeli space industry, aimed to demonstrate formation-flying technologies for search-and-rescue and geolocation purposes, and was launched in March 2021 on board a Soyuz-2 launcher.
Gurfil has also been involved in promoting international space collaboration, as well as in studies concerning Israel Space Agency's strategic planning, and has commented on national space policy and exploration initiatives, such as the Beresheet lunar lander.
Academic publications
Authored books
*Edited books
*Selected articles
*Poetry and musical career
Gurfil has published poetry and is active as a singer-songwriter. In interviews he has stated that he published two Hebrew poetry books in 2015 and 2016.He began releasing recorded music in the early 2020s, with his first studio album Just Below My Cover appearing in 2022, followed by Read the Lyrics in 2024.
Gurfil's work has been described in independent music publications as genre-blending, combining elements of art rock, progressive rock and jazz-influenced arrangements, with lyrics often focused on solitude, faith and personal reflection.
Singles such as "Reborn", "Anny", "Call It Art" and "Final Romance" have been reviewed by specialist outlets. The Other Side Reviews noted the "melancholic jazz piano and melodic melancholy vocals" of Reborn. Lost in the Manor and Punk Head highlighted the philosophical and cinematic qualities of Anny. Illustrate Magazine described Call It Art as a reflective, folk-styled duet. The single Final Romance was noted by TJPL News for its blend of art rock and retro influences with shifting time signatures.
Reviews of the 2024 album Read the Lyrics in outlets such as Less Than 1000 Followers described it as an "experimental and poetic" project that blends progressive rock, jazz and rockabilly elements with introspective lyricism.
Discography
; Studio albumsJust Below My Cover- ''Read the Lyrics''