Marcello Romano is an American-Italian academic researcher, educator and inventor in the field of astronautical engineering and space technology. His areas of research include astrodynamics, orbital robotics, guidance, control, space systems engineering, and space sustainability. Since January 2025, Dr. Romano is a full professor and head, chair of astrodynamics, Technical University of Munich. Between 2004 and 2024, he has been a professor and the founder director of the Spacecraft Robotics Laboratory at the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California. Dr. Romano earned his Ph.D. (2001) and Laurea degree (1997) in Aerospace Engineering from Politecnico di Milano, Italy. He has held visiting positions at the Technical University of Munich (2012), Stanford University (2018), NASA Ames Research Center (2018). Finally, he has held a direct-call faculty position at Politecnico di Torino from 2022 to 2024. Dr. Romano is an Academician in the International Academy of Astronautics, an Associate Fellow in the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and a Senior Member in the IEEE. He is the recipient of both the Senior and Junior Menneken Awards for Excellence in Scientific Research (2021, and 2006), and of the 2020 American Astronautical Society (AAS) Patti Grace Smith Award. He is a member of the IAF Astrodynamics TC and of the AIAA Space Automation and Robotics TC.