D

Committee and Staff Biographies

JOSEPH K. ALEXANDER, Co-Chair, is a consultant in science and technology policy. He was a senior program officer with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Space Studies Board (SSB) from 2005 until 2013, and he served as SSB director from 1998 until November 2005. Prior to joining the National Academies, he was deputy assistant administrator for science in the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Research and Development, where he coordinated a broad spectrum of environmental science and led strategic planning. From 1993 to 1994, he was associate director of space sciences at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) and served concurrently as acting chief of the Laboratory for Extraterrestrial Physics. From 1987 until 1993, he was assistant associate administrator at NASA’s Office of Space Science and Applications, where he coordinated planning and provided oversight of all scientific research programs. He also served from 1992 to 1993 as acting director of life sciences. Prior positions include deputy NASA chief scientist, senior policy analyst at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and research scientist at GSFC. His research interests were in radio astronomy and space physics. He has a BA and an MA in physics from the College of William and Mary. His book, Science Advice to NASA: Conflict, Consensus, Partnership, Leadership, was published in 2017. He has served on multiple committees of the National Academies, including the Committee to Review the Report of the NASA Planetary Protection Independent Review Board (chair), the Committee on the Review of Planetary Protection Policy Development Processes (chair), and the Committee on the Review of NASA’s Planetary Science Division’s Restructured Research and Analysis Program (member).

AMANDA R. HENDRIX, Co-Chair, is a senior scientist with the Planetary Science Institute. Her research interests focus on moons and small bodies in the solar system to understand composition, activity, and evolution. Hendrix is director of NASA’s SSERVI TREX node, previously a co-investigator on the Cassini UVIS and Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter LAMP teams, was a co-investigator on the Galileo UVS team and served as the Cassini deputy project scientist. In 2016, she published a book (Penguin/Random House) with co-author Charles Wohlforth, Beyond Earth: Our Path to a New Home in the Planets, a discussion of the technological, medical, and social hurdles to overcome in considering a human space establishment in the outer solar system. Hendrix is co-chair of the Roadmaps to Ocean Worlds group, serves as a steering committee member of the Outer Planets Assessment Group, and was a member of the Planetary Protection Independent Review Board. She earned her PhD in aerospace engineering with an emphasis in planetary science from the University of Colorado. Hendrix has served on various National Academies’ committees, including the Committee on the Review of Progress Toward Implementing the Decadal Survey Vision and Voyages for Planetary Sciences.

ANGEL ABBUD-MADRID is director of the Center for Space Resources at the Colorado School of Mines, where he leads a research program focused on the human and robotic exploration of space and the utilization of its resources. He is also director of the Space Resources Graduate Program aimed at educating scientists, engineers, economists, entrepreneurs, and policy makers in the field of extraterrestrial resources. Abbud-Madrid has more than 30 years of experience conducting experiments in NASA’s low-gravity facilities, such as drop towers, parabolic-flight aircraft, the space shuttle, and the

International Space Station and received the NASA Astronauts’ Personal Achievement Award for his contributions to the success of human space flight. He is currently president of the Space Resources Roundtable, an international organization focused on lunar, asteroidal, and planetary resources studies. In addition, Abbud-Madrid is an observer and technical panel member of The Hague International Space Resources Governance Working Group. He received his PhD in mechanical and aerospace engineering from the University of Colorado Boulder.

ANTHONY COLAPRETE is a planetary scientist at the NASA Ames Research Center in the Space Sciences Division. His research interests include planetary exploration, in situ resource utilizations, volatiles, and radiative transfer. With more than 20 years of experience, he has worked on a variety of space projects ranging from sounding rockets and space shuttle flights to micro and small satellites. Prior to joining NASA Ames, he was a principal investigator at the SETI Institute, a National Research Council associate at NASA Ames, and a space scientist at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics and the Colorado Space Grant Consortium. Colaprete is the recipient of the 2016 H. Julian Allen Award. He received his PhD in astrophysical, planetary, and atmospheric science from the University of Colorado.

MICHAEL J. DALY is a professor in the Department of Pathology at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences School of Medicine in Bethesda, Maryland. He is an expert in the study of bacteria belonging to the family Deinococcaceae, which are some of the most radiation-resistant organisms yet discovered. He received his PhD in molecular biology at Queen Mary University of London. He has served on multiple National Academies’ committees, including the Committee on Planetary Protection Requirements for Sample Return Missions from Martian Moons, the Committee on Planetary Protection Standards for Icy Bodies in the Outer Solar System, the Committee on Planetary Protection Requirements for Venus Missions, the Committee on the Origins and Evolution of Life, the Committee on the Astrophysical Context of Life, and the Committee for the Task Group on the Forward Contamination of Europa.

DAVID P. FIDLER is a senior fellow for cybersecurity and global health at the Council on Foreign Relations and the James Louis Calamaras Professor of Law (emeritus) at the Indiana University Maurer School of Law. He works on international law and global governance issues across many policy areas, including cyberspace, global health, outer space, national security, environmental protection, terrorism, and weapons of mass destruction. Current activities include research on the COVID-19 pandemic, cybersecurity law, and emerging challenges in global space governance. He is the recipient of a Fulbright New Century Scholar Award. Fidler received his JD from Harvard Law School. He has served on numerous National Academies’ committees, including the Committee to Review the Report of the NASA Planetary Protection Independent Review Board and the Committee to Review the Planetary Protection Policy Development Processes.

SARAH A. GAVIT is project manager for the VenSAR Project at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). She has more than 35 years of engineering and management experience. Previous assignments at JPL include serving as deputy division manager for the Communications, Radar and Tracking Division, assistant director for engineering and science, project manager for the Dawn mission and the Deep Space 2 Mars Microprobe Project, project system engineer for the Prometheus and Kepler missions, fault protection system engineer for the Cassini mission, and as the Mars System Sterilization Study lead. Early in her career at Martin Marietta, Gavit was a mission and system engineer for the Magellan mission to Venus. Gavit operated her own business as a private consultant to NASA for spacecraft system engineering and project management, and frequently served on technical, management, and cost panels for space mission evaluations. Gavit received her MS in aeronautical and astronautical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

ANDREW D. HORCHLER is the principal research scientist at Astrobotic, where he leads the research and development of robotics hardware and software for advanced space applications. Horchler has fielded more than a dozen mobile robot platforms over the past 20 years and has published more than 60 papers, proceedings, and patents. His robots have been tested on simulated lunar regolith at NASA Glenn Research Center’s Simulated Lunar Operations laboratory, on tortuous rubble piles and desert terrain for NASA and National Institute of Standards and Technology field tests, and have flown in caves and icy lava tubes. He leads the development of a navigation sensor for precision landing that will fly on Astrobotic’s first lunar mission and a hazard detection sensor that will safely land NASA’s VIPER rover on the South Pole of the Moon in 2023. Horchler also supports rover system development and served as Principal Investigator for Astrobotic’s lunar “CubeRover” platform as well as software to aid mission planners in formulating rover missions under the unique lighting conditions at the poles of the Moon. Prior to joining Astrobotic, he was the technical lead for Case Western Reserve’s Defense Advanced Research Project Agency Urban Challenge self-driving car team where he led the creation and testing of driving behaviors and developed real-time trajectory planning and mapping algorithms.

EUGENE H. LEVY is the Andrew Hays Buchanan Professor of Astrophysics in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Rice University. His research interests focus on theoretical cosmic physics, with emphasis on elucidating mechanisms and processes that underlie physical phenomena in planetary and astrophysical systems. Levy’s research also includes the generation and influences of magnetic fields in natural bodies, including Earth, the Sun, and planets, the theory of cosmic rays, and the theory of physical processes associated with the formation of the solar system, stars, and other planetary systems. Prior to joining Rice University, he served in various capacities at the University of Arizona, including dean of the College of Science, head of the Planetary Science Department, director of the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, and professor of planetary science. Levy has won multiple awards, including the Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung Senior Scientist Award by the Federal Republic of Germany, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Distinguished Leadership Award through the University of Arizona, and the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal. He received his PhD in physics from the University of Chicago. Levy has served on various committees at the National Academies, including the Committee on the Review of Planetary Protection Policy Development Processes, the Committee for US-USSR Workshop on Planetary Sciences, the ad hoc Panel on Mars Sample Return, and the Planetary and Lunar Exploration Task Group.

ROBERT E. LINDBERG, JR., is an independent consultant with more than 35 years of experience as an accomplished aerospace executive and entrepreneur that spans government, aerospace industry, start-ups, academic, and nonprofit sectors. Lindberg’s background and experience includes spacecraft and launch vehicle design; entry, descent, and landing; and planetary protection. Prior to his current position, he served as vice president of two small space companies: Moon Express and Vector Launch. From 2003 to 2012, he was president and executive director of the National Institute of Aerospace (NIA). Prior to co-founding NIA, Lindberg was senior vice president with Orbital Sciences Corporation (now a division of Northrop Grumman). Lindberg was a former member of the NASA Advisory Council Science Committee and chaired its Planetary Protection Subcommittee. He is affiliated with the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (fellow) and the American Astronautical Society (fellow and past president). Lindberg received numerous honors including the Egleston Medal from Columbia University and the Engineering Achievement Award from the University of Virginia. He has served on committees and panels for NASA, the Naval Studies Board of the National Academies, the National Security Space Architect, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the International Council on Science’s Committee on Space Research. Lindberg received his EngScD in mechanical engineering from Columbia University. He served on the National Academies’ Committee on the Navy’s Needs in Space for Providing Future Capabilities.

MARGARITA M. MARINOVA¹ works for Amazon’s Project Kuiper. She has worked on improving rocket capabilities and reusability, gaining deeper understanding of Earth and its planetary neighbors, and applying these advancements to improve life on Earth. Marinova has worked at Airbus Space Propulsion in engine nozzle research and development and at NASA Ames Research Center as a planetary scientist and has studied a diverse variety of extreme environments, including the High Arctic, the Sahara Desert in Egypt, and the Dry Valleys of Antarctica. Most recently she was at SpaceX as a propulsion systems responsible engineer for the vertical takeoff and landing F9R-Dev vehicle, vehicle responsible engineer for internal research and the reusability program, and senior Mars development engineer working on mission architecture and vehicle design for the Starship vehicle and its planetary missions. Marinova received her PhD in planetary science from the California Institute of Technology. She served on the National Academies’ Committee to Review the NASA’s Planetary Protection Independent Review Report.

A. DEANNE ROGERS is an associate professor with the Department of Geosciences at Stony Brook University and editor of the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets. Prior to joining Stony Brook, she was a postdoctoral fellow at the California Institute of Technology. Her research interests include using remote sensing techniques, statistical methods, laboratory spectroscopy, and thermal modeling to investigate a wide range of planetary surface processes. She manages the Earth and Planetary Remote Sensing Laboratory under the Stony Brook Center for Planetary Exploration. Rogers is the recipient of numerous awards, including the NASA Planetary Science Division Early Career Fellow, the NASA Group Achievement Award for Mars Exploration Rovers, and the NASA Group Achievement Award for the 2001 Odyssey THEMIS. She received her PhD in geological sciences from Arizona State University.

GERHARD H. SCHWEHM has more than 30 years of experience working for the European Space Agency (ESA) (retired) in various positions. This includes serving as Rosetta Mission Manager from 2004 to 2013, head of the Solar System Science Operations Division at ESA-European Space Astronomy Centre from 2007 to 2011, and head of the Planetary Missions Division at ESA-European Space Research and Technology Centre from 2001 to 2007. During his time at ESA, Schwehm served as a member of the Interagency Space Debris Working Group, ESA representative for the NASA Planetary Protection subgroup, and a member of the ESA Planetary Protection Working Group. He is an ex-officio of numerous mission and payload reviews and selection panels for ESA, NASA, and DLR. Schwehm received his PhD in applied physics from the Ruhr-Universitat Bochum.

TRISTA J. VICK-MAJORS is an assistant professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Michigan Technological University and a member of the SALSA (Subglacial Antarctic Lakes Scientific Access) Science Team. She currently serves on the science advisory board for the United States Ice Drilling Program. Prior to joining Michigan Technological University, she was a postdoctoral research scientist at l’Université du Québec à Montréal and at the University of Montana’s Flathead Lake Biological Station. Her main research interests focus on microbial life and biogeochemical processes in and under ice, microbial growth under oligotrophic and energy-limited conditions in aquatic systems, and clean access to pristine subglacial aquatic environments. She has participated in three research expeditions to study permanently ice-covered lakes in the Antarctic McMurdo Dry Valleys, including the only study of the region during the onset of the austral winter, and three that accessed subglacial water under ~1 km of ice on the West Antarctic Ice Sheet and Ross Ice Shelf as part of the SALSA and WISSARD (Whillans Ice Stream Subglacial Access Research and Drilling) projects. She earned her PhD in ecology and environmental sciences from Montana State University. Vick-Majors served on the National Academies’ Committee for the Review of the NASA Independent Review Board and participated in a workshop of experts convened by the Division on Earth and Life Studies on Understanding and Responding to Global Health Security Risks from Microbial Threats in the Arctic.

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¹ Recused from this study.

STAFF

DANIEL NAGASAWA, Study Director, joined the SSB in 2019 and is a program officer. Before joining the SSB, he was a graduate research assistant specializing in stellar astrophysics, measuring the abundance of elements in the atmospheres of very old, metal-poor stars. Nagasawa began his research career as an undergraduate research assistant for the Cryogenic Dark Matter Search. When he began graduate school, he transitioned to designing and evaluating astronomical instrumentation, specifically ground-based spectrographs. He went on to specialize in high-resolution stellar spectroscopy and applied these techniques on stars in ultra-faint dwarf satellite galaxies of the Milky Way to study the chemical history of the galaxy as part of the Dark Energy Survey (DES). He also developed skills in education and public outreach by teaching an observational astronomy course and writing for an outreach initiative for DES. Nagasawa earned his PhD in astronomy and his MS in physics at Texas A&M University; he earned his BS in physics with a concentration in astrophysics from Stanford University.

NANCY CONNELL is a senior scientist in the Board on Life Sciences at the National Academies. Trained in microbial genetics at Harvard, Connell’s work has focused on advances in life sciences and technology and their application to a number of developments in the areas of biosecurity, biosafety, and biodefense. She has had a long-standing interest in the development of regulatory policies associated with biocontainment work and dual-use research of concern. Connell is a past member of the Board on Life Sciences and the Committee on International Security and Arms Control, and a National Associate of the National Academies, where she has served on more than 15 National Academies’ committees. Among other national and international committees, she served on the U.S. National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity. Connell has considerable experience and interest in pedagogy, with an international focus on ethics education and the responsible conduct of research. She was a senior scientist at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security and a professor in the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health from 2018 to 2021. From 1992 to 2018, Connell was an investigator in microbial genetics and drug discovery at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, finishing her long career there as a professor in the Division of Infectious Disease and director of research in the Department of Medicine.

ALEXANDER BELLES is a 2022 Christine Mirzayan Science & Technology Policy Graduate Fellow with the SSB. He is a PhD candidate in the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the Pennsylvania State University. His graduate work has focused on panchromatic studies of nearby galaxies and the wavelength dependent effects of interstellar dust. During his graduate career, Belles has been a member of the Science Operations Team for the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, a NASA space‐based observatory with three telescopes used to study gamma‐ray bursts. As an undergraduate, he started doing research by studying lithium depletion in open star clusters. Previously, Belles received his BA in physics and mathematics from the State University of New York College at Geneseo.

MEGAN CHAMBERLAIN joined the SSB and the Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board (ASEB) as a senior program assistant in 2019. Chamberlain began her career at the National Academies in 2007 working for the Transportation Research Board in the Cooperative Research Programs. She has assisted with meeting facilitation and administrative support of hundreds of research projects over the course of her career. Chamberlain attended the University of the District of Columbia and majored in psychology.

COLLEEN N. HARTMAN joined the National Academies in 2018 as director for both the SSB and the ASEB. After beginning her government career as a presidential management intern under Ronald Reagan, Hartman worked on Capitol Hill for House Science and Technology Committee Chairman Don Fuqua, as a senior engineer building spacecraft at NASA GSFC, and as a senior policy analyst at the White House. She has served as Planetary Division director, deputy associate administrator, and acting associate administrator at NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, as deputy assistant administrator at the National