People of NASA Science

Q&A with Ray Wheeler Retired senior scientist and plant physiologist Ray Wheeler has played a vital role in advancing plant…

A conversation with quantum scientist, Jason Williams… Why does NASA study quantum science? “We’re trying to answer some of the…

Diana C. Ly is the Deputy Division Director for NASA’s Biological and Physical Sciences (BPS) Division of the Science Mission…

Kevin Murphy is the Chief Science Data Officer for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD). In this role, he works across…

Dr. Eric Smith is the Associate Director for Research in the Science Mission Directorate’s Astrophysics Division at NASA Headquarters. He…

NASA’s Chief Scientist and Senior Climate Advisor - NASA Headquarters

Diane began her NASA career as a shadow student at NASA Glenn Research Center in 1983, as part of a…

Dr. Travis Blake serves is the Program Officer for Space Traffic Coordination within NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD). Prior to…

Mr. Eric Ianson is currently the Deputy Director of the Planetary Science Division of the Science Mission Directorate at NASA…

Dr. Antonino (Nino) Cucchiara is the Lead Program Scientist for the Future Investigator in NASA Earth and Space Science and…

Joe Smith is the Associate Director for Flight at NASA Headquarters Science Mission Directorate, Astrophysics Division, responsible for overseeing the…

< Back to Leadership Team Lauri K. Newman is the Conjunction Assessment Program Officer within NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD).…

Dr. Mark Clampin is the Astrophysics Division Director in the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. The…

Dr. Julie A. Robinson is Deputy Director for Earth Science at National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Headquarters in Washington,…

Dr. Will McCarty is a Program Scientist in the Weather and Atmospheric Dynamics (WAD) Focus Area. Within this area, he…

Dr. Carolyn Mercer serves as the Chief Technologist for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate where she serves as the focal point…

Kevin Reath is a Deputy Program Scientist for the Earth Surface and Interior Program. He also serves as the chair…

Dr. Ursula Rick has spent her career at the intersection of science and policy, with a drive to see useful…

John Gagosian serves as Director of the Joint Agency Satellite Division (JASD), which is responsible for the development of space…

Jared Entin is the Program Manager for the Terrestrial Hydrology Program (THP) in the Earth Science Division of NASA’s Science…

Joel Scott is a Program Executive for Earth Science Data Systems in the Earth Science Division of the Science Mission…

Kaitlin Harbeck is the support scientist for the Cryospheric Sciences program office. She has a Master’s in Earth science from…

Karen C. Fox is the senior communications official embedded within NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. She has served in that role…

Daniel Evans is the Director of Civil Space Policy at the White House National Space Council. In this role, he…

Jessica Hausman is the support scientist for the Physical Oceanography (PO) Program Office at NASA Headquarters. Her responsibilities include promoting…

Mr. Watkins currently serves as the Director of the NASA Management Office (NMO) at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), the…

Dr. Joel Kearns is the Deputy Associate Administrator for Exploration in NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. He leads the Exploration Science…

Stephen A. Rinehart is the Director of Planetary Research Programs at NASA Headquarters. In this role, he serves as the…

Dr. Wanda Peters has extensive professional experience working for the federal government and private industry. She has over 35 years…

Dr. David Burns is the Acting Deputy Associate Administrator for Exploration in the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters. Dr.…

Holly Degn serves as the Director of the Resource Management Division within NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD), responsible for formulation,…

Mr. Gramling began his career at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in 1985, developing flight hardware simulators for the…

Grey Hautaluoma’s nearly 30-year career includes wide experience in government and nonprofit communications. He has been with NASA since 2004…

Krishna Vadrevu is the Deputy Program Manager for the Land Cover/Land Use Change (LCLUC) Program at the Earth Science Division…

Dr. St. Germain is the Division Director of the Earth Science Division, in the Science Mission Directorate at the National…

Amber Emory is a Program Manager for Advanced Component Technologies for the NASA HQ Earth Science Technology Office (ESTO) where…

Ms. Ellen Gertsen serves as the Chief of the Administration Branch within NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD). She provides leadership…

Ms. Mayra Montrose is Acting Deputy Associate Administrator for Programs in the Science Mission Directorate (SMD) of NASA since December…

Dr. Aaron J. Piña is a Deputy Program Scientist at NASA Headquarters in the Earth Science Division where he supports…

Karen Flynn is the Deputy Associate Administrator for Management, responsible for the formulation and execution of the Directorate’s $6+ billion…

Thorsten Markus is the program manager for Cryospheric Science at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. Previously, he was head of…

Blaize A. Denfeld is an AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow at NASA HQ in the Earth, Surface and Interior…

Initially arriving in the Science Mission Directorate (SMD) in 2016, Mary Frances Sladek joined the Deputy Associate Administrator for Research…

Dr. Keith Gaddis is the program manager for the NASA Biological Diversity and Ecological Forecasting programs at NASA Headquarters. These…

Dr. Michael Falkowski is a Program Scientist in the Terrestrial Ecology Program at NASA Headquarters where part of his duties…

Dr. Gail Skofronick-Jackson died suddenly in early September 2021. Karen St Germain, Earth Science Division Director at NASA HQ wrote…

Dr. Nadya Vinogradova Shiffer directs the Ocean Physics program at NASA HQ, Science Mission Directorate, Earth Science Division. She provides scientific leadership…

As the Associate Administrator (AA) for the Science Mission Directorate, Dr. Nicola Fox directs ~100 NASA missions to explore the…

Program Scientist - Heliophysics Division

Program Scientist for the Parker Solar Probe (PSP), the Sun Radio Interferometry Space Experiment (SunRISE), and the Interstellar Boundary Explorer…

Dr. Michael New is the Deputy Associate Administrator for Research within NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. Principal responsibilities encompass: ensuring scientific…

Prior to joining NASA in 2017, Felix was a data scientist at JPL. He was leading the ‘Airborne Multi-angle Spectro…

Lawrence Friedl serves as the director of the Applied Sciences Program within the Earth Science Division at NASA Headquarters. The…

As the NASA Applied Sciences Wildland Fires Program Manager, David and his team use space-based instruments and models to support…

Mrs. Cauffman currently serves as the Deputy Director for the Astrophysics Division in the Science Mission Directorate (SMD) at NASA…

Dennis Andrucyk is the deputy associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD). He, alongside the associate administrator Thomas Zurbuchen,…

< Back to Leadership Team Editor’s note: Dr. Zurbuchen left NASA in 2022. Scientific discovery is one of humanity’s most…

Sandra Connelly serves as the Deputy Associate Administrator (DAA) for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD) where she provides executive leadership,…

Eric Kasischke is the Terrestrial Ecology Program Scientist in the Earth Science Division of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. He is…

Dr. Bob Swap is currently serving as a rotating IPA (Intergovernmental Personnel Act) program officer with the Radiation Sciences Program…