Doris Daou

Doris Daou leads the Planetary Defense Coordination Office’s efforts for the 2029 International Year of Asteroid Awareness and Planetary Defense. She earned her master’s in astronomy from the University of Montreal. She worked at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI), the NASA Infrared Processing and Analysis Center (IPAC), the NASA Lunar Science Institute (NLSI), and the NASA Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI) before coming to NASA Headquarters in 2012. She has 28 years of experience working on NASA missions.

At SSERVI, she served as associate director and also acted as deputy director for international relations, working closely with foreign agencies on cooperation in NASA research and missions. She is an active member of the American Astronomical Society’s Planetary Science Division, the International Astronomical Union (IAU), and the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference.

Ms. Daou is fluent in French. She is working on a degree in art history, fueled by her love of the arts. She has worked as a volunteer with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Maryland Center Stage Theater, and the Pasadena Playhouse.