Dr. Tahani Amer

Dr. Tahani Amer is a distinguished NASA leader with over three decades of experience in engineering, science, program management, and strategic leadership across federal and private sectors. She currently serves as the Acting Associate Director for Flight Programs in NASA’s Astrophysics Division (APD), where she provides executive oversight of APD’s diverse portfolio of flight missions, including major flagship and strategic missions such as the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, CGI, SPHEREx, COSI, Swift Boost, LISA and Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO).  In this role, Dr. Amer leads programmatic execution, technical integration, and cross‑center coordination, ensuring mission performance, budget discipline, and alignment with agency priorities.

Dr. Amer contributes actively to NASA’s Joint Agency Satellite Division (JASD), strengthening collaboration with NOAA to advance the next generation of terrestrial and space weather capabilities. Her leadership reinforces NASA‑NOAA alignment in mission planning, requirements management, and long‑term strategic direction.

In addition to her APD leadership, Dr. Amer serves within the Assistant Deputy Associate Administrator for Programs (ADAA‑P) office in the Science Mission Directorate (SMD), supporting mission portfolio management across more than 100 NASA science missions with a cumulative value exceeding $10 billion. Her work strengthens strategic planning, policy development, and programmatic review across all SMD divisions.

Dr. Amer previously served as a Program Executive in NASA’s Planetary Science Division, where she led the Mars Sample Receiving Project (SRP), establishing independent assessment boards, refining requirements, and advancing international partnerships. In the Earth Science Division, she managed multiple high‑profile missions, including the successful launch of the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission, guiding teams through complex technical and organizational challenges.

Her experience also spans the Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD), where she led the SBIR/STTR programs, expanding industry engagement and advancing more than 25 Space Act Agreements that supported technology innovation.

Across her career, Dr. Amer has been recognized for collaborative leadership, clear communication, and a deep commitment to missions that expand humanity’s understanding of Earth, our solar system, and the broader universe. Her contributions continue to drive progress on flagship missions including the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope and strengthen partnerships critical to NASA’s future science endeavors.