A Goodmayes-born spacecraft engineer took her research on protecting spacecraft from radiation to the Houses of Parliament on Monday.
Samantha Rason, 28, who now lives in Guildford, was selected from hundreds of applicants to present her work to politicians and judges as part of the SET for Britain competition.
Her poster on radiation hardness assurance for spacecraft was pitted against research by dozens of other engineers.
She then met MPs including Ilford South MP Mike Gapes at the event.
Ms Rason, who works for Surrey Sattelite Technology, studied maths, physics and art at Ilford Ursuline before moving on to a physics and astrophysics degree at the University of Sussex.
She said: “I’ve always had an interest in space since I was really young.
“I test radiation hardness by modelling the environment and the effects it has on materials so the spacecraft will survive.
“It’s good fun.”
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