Dr. Keith Gaddis

Dr. Keith Gaddis is the Program Manager for the NASA Biological Diversity and Ecological Conservation programs at NASA Headquarters. These programs advance the study of biological diversity in the air, on land, and in water using observations from satellites, airborne and seaborne platforms, and in situ surveys. These capabilities are then leveraged to build decision support tools that analyze and forecast ecosystem change and inform effective resource management of end users partnering with our programs. 

Dr. Gaddis serves multiple roles supporting current and future NASA satellite missions. He is the program manager and program applications lead for the ECOsystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station (ECOSTRESS). Dr. Gaddis is also the program applications lead for the Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT), the NASA Explorer for Artemis Geology Lunar and Earth (EAGLE), and the Earth Dynamics Geodetic Explorer (EDGE). 

Dr. Gaddis represents NASA in interagency relationships with the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management and other executive branches and private organizations (e.g., Conservation International, World Wildlife Fund, National Geographic, and Microsoft). He is involved in several NASA efforts to open transparency and opportunity across NASA-funded activities. Dr. Gaddis is the former program scientist (2023-2025) for the NASA International Space Apps Challenge, the largest annual global hackathon, which grew three-fold in participation under his tenure. 

Dr. Gaddis received a B.A. the University of Iowa with a double major in Biology and Environmental Science. He completed his Ph.D. in Biology at UCLA. He is a former American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow, visiting assistant professor at Texas A&M University, and Peace Corps volunteer in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania. Dr. Gaddis is an ecologist and biogeographer by training with expertise using remote sensing and genetics to address questions in ecology, evolution, and conservation biology. He has worked in ecosystems across Africa, South America, Europe, and North America. Dr. Gaddis is a vocal advocate for science communication and the use of science for public decision making. 

Dr. Gaddis has received several awards during his tenure at NASA including an Early Career Public Achievement Medal, an Influential Leaders Award, and multiple NASA Group Achievement Awards and Peer Awards.