Vincenzo Cotroneo is a researcher at OAB, overseeing the thermal forming laboratory. His expertise includes the metrology of thin optics, as well as the simulation, testing, and design of X-ray telescopes. From 2010 to 2019, he was a member of the adjustable X-ray optics team at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian in Cambridge, MA, USA (CfA). This project developed thin and lightweight X-ray optics by depositing piezoelectric actuators on thermally formed glass via lithographic methods, akin to the Live-Mirror project.

At CfA, Vincenzo led thermal forming activities, establishing a specialized laboratory, developing advanced methods and procedures, and exploring new materials and techniques that resulted in the production of numerous high-precision mirror substrates. His contribution extended to metrology and figure correction. In his current role, Vincenzo leads the thermal forming activities for the Live-Mirror project and coordinates the efforts of the OAB team.

Stefano Basso is an engineer at INAF-OAB Merate. His work includes the development and design of support structures and optical components, as well as simulation models for support structures and lightweight mirrors.

Basso is responsible for the machine shop at OAB and has supported many projects through mechanical design and manufacturing of parts, also building interfaces for scientific instruments and laboratory equipment. He is a core member of the BEaTriX project team, which has built and now operates a complex and advanced X-ray testing facility; this project required the design, simulation, fabrication and characterization of many custom components.

His expertise in mechanical engineering, design and simulations is fundamental for the Live-Mirror project in producing custom laboratory equipment for furnaces and metrology. He serves as an interface for engineering issues and finite-element simulations.

Gabriele Vecchi is a researcher at INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera (OAB) in Merate, Italy. He specializes in precision optics fabrication, particularly using bonnet polishing and ion figuring techniques, and in the related metrology. Vecchi operates the 7-axis IRP1200 machine by Zeeko Ltd. at OAB, producing high-precision optical surfaces. His expertise includes pitch polishing with abrasive slurries and interferometric methods for surface metrology, with a focus on lightweight mirrors. Vecchi has developed high-precision optics for telescopes and laboratory instrumentation.

In the Live-Mirror project, he supports the metrology for the thin glass substrates and mandrels, including the definition of methods and tools. His expertise is essential to define and evaluate the requirements and trade-offs for the surface quality of glass and mandrels, providing feedback on mandrel manufacturing and thermal forming parameters.