Nicole (Nicki) Rayl

Nicole (Nicki) Rayl is the associate director for flight in the Heliophysics Division of the Science Mission Directorate (SMD) at NASA Headquarters. In this role, she leads the flight portfolio for 20 operating spaceflight missions and 10 missions in development.

The Heliophysics Division manages a portfolio of space systems and scientific research dedicated to studying the Sun, heliosphere, and planetary environments as elements of a single interconnected system. 

Prior to her current role, Rayl was the acting chief technologist for SMD where she defined the agency’s science technology strategy and implementation plans. From 2014-2021, Rayl was the space biology program manager where she designed and implemented research and engineering developments for NASA’s non-human biological research to further understand the basic mechanisms of adaptation or acclimation to spaceflight. 

Rayl joined NASA at the agency’s Ames Research Center in 2004 as a payload manager for life science payloads on the space shuttle and International Space Station.  From 2004-2013, she was a payload and project manager, responsible for numerous flight payloads, hardware developments, ground facilities and technology demonstrations, ranging from cell biology, microbiology, plant biology to invertebrate and vertebrate biology and human research. Rayl also led the development of the GeneLab initiative, an interactive, open-access resource where scientists can upload, download, store, search, share, transfer, and analyze omics data from spaceflight and corresponding analogue experiments.

Before joining NASA, Rayl worked as a field marine ecologist and scientific diver, focusing on invertebrate biology and invasive species models. She has a bachelor’s degree from UC Davis in Environmental Biology/Marine Ecology.

Rayl is the recipient of three Space Flight Awareness Awards, An Early Career Achievement Medal and A NASA Silver Snoopy Award, among others.