In Their Own Words
Our Scientists
Scientists at Wavefront Principle get funding for one full year to either achieve proof of product or open source their findings. These are the people who work hard every day to start making waves, and make science accessible for all.
Ignacio Reyes Raffo
“I trained as a theoretical physicist to understand Nature at its most fundamental level. During my PhD and early postdoctoral years, I worked on black holes and quantum mechanics—an intellectually intense and formative period.
Over time, however, I began to feel a growing distance between elegant theory and observable reality. While the research was strong, it had drifted far from experimentation and application, and the academic system left little room for risk or genuinely new directions.
A course on space entrepreneurship—followed by direct engagement within ESA networks—shifted that perspective. For the first time, I saw a pathway to translate first-principles thinking — in particles, waves and time — into tangible capability.
Wavefront enables scientists to move ambitious ideas toward working technology on short timescales. With their support, I am now developing a proof of concept for high-precision optical methods to observe and track difficult-to-detect objects in orbit — a capability that is becoming increasingly critical as orbital activity accelerates.”
Ali Azadbakht
“We live in the age of AI, where open data and code have reshaped how we live and work. We now have tools that can think, write, and calculate faster than ever. But I believe there is a missing part to this picture. If we want the world to truly benefit from these new technologies, we don’t just need better algorithms; we need better control over the instruments that feed them.
That is my mission at Wavefront. I want to do for scientific hardware what the open-source community did for AI: make it transparent, accessible, and collaborative.
This drive comes from my roots. I grew up in a country under heavy international sanctions. It was a difficult situation: we didn’t support the government’s actions, yet we—the ordinary people—were the ones who faced the consequences. We couldn’t just buy the tools we needed; we had to make them ourselves. That experience taught me that if you want a tool to exist, you can’t wait for permission or access—you have to invent it yourself.
Now, I’m applying that creativity to microscopy. One of my projects at WFront is an open-source optical tweezers: a microscope setup that uses focused laser light to hold and move tiny objects. I am building instruments that allow independent researchers and citizen scientists to explore the invisible world without the barrier of cost.
By opening up the “black box” of hardware, I hope to add a new piece to the puzzle of science—showing that innovation shouldn’t be limited by politics or budget, but only by your curiosity.”
Your story here?
Are you next? Do you believe science has become too centralized? Are you ready to contribute to our mission, and work on your dream project? Get in touch!