Our Volunteer Academic Members
Space Consortium academic members are Massachusetts-based space researchers who volunteer(ed) their time to help bring together the space community and share multi and transdisciplinary space knowledge, through free and open to all events organized by the Consortium, such as Space Week, Space Night and the Space Film Festival.
Academic Space Consortium Resources
Outreach opportunities with the general public via Massachusetts Space Week
Invitation to a variety of free workshops, book clubs, social events, etc. bringing together the Space Consortium Experts
Visibility as a permanent member of The Space Consortium
Responsibilities
Fill out the Members’ Google Form
Participate in Space Week when you can
Share your space talks/events/articles at input@spaceconsortium.org
Connect us with your colleagues via contact@spaceconsortium.org
Astrophysics
Kimberly Kowal Arcand
CfA
Kimberly Kowal Arcand, Ph.D., is the Visualization scientist & Emerging tech lead for NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, which has its headquarters at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She is a leading expert in studying the perception and comprehension of high-energy data visualization across the novice-expert spectrum.
Allyson Bieryla
CfA
Allyson Bieryla manages the Astronomy Lab and Telescope at the Science Center which is used for undergraduate teaching. She also runs the Harvard Observing Project (HOP) which is designed to give students opportunities in observational astronomy. Bieryla’s research interest is in observational astronomy with a specific interest in the detection and characterization of exoplanets. Bieryla received a BA from the University of Colorado Boulder and an MA from the Harvard Extension School.
Supriya Chakrabarti
Lowell Center for Space Science & Technology
Supriya Chakrabarti is a Professor of Physics and Applied Physics at University of Massachusetts Lowell. He directs the Lowell Center for Space Science and Technology (LoCSST) and earned his Ph.D. in from U.C. Berkeley.
Ofer Cohen
Lowell Center for Space Science & Technology
Professor Cohen has been implementing models that have been developed to connect the Earth and solar system objects to the study of exoplanets. This approach provided a much more realistic view on exoplanets and their characteristics. Professor Cohen has established himself as an interdisciplinary researcher who works on many topics falling within the range of planetary science, heliophysics, solar physics and astrophysics
Anthea Coster
MIT Haystack Observatory
Anthea Coster is the Assistant Director and Principal Research Scientist at the MIT Haystack Observatory. Coster finished her Ph.D. at Rice University in 1983 while working at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico.
Martin Elvis
CfA
Dr. Martin Elvis is a Senior Astrophysicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics where he has worked on a series of space X-ray telescopes, culminating with the Chandra X-ray Observatory. Dr. Elvis obtained his Ph.D. in X-ray astronomy in 1978 at the University of Leicester.
Francesca Fornasini
Stonehill College
Francesca Fornasini is an astrophysicist whose research focuses on the evolution of black holes, big and small, and other compact objects. She received her PhD in astrophysics in 2016 from the University of California, Berkeley, where her dissertation research was focused on high-mass X-ray binaries. As a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, she began working on the co-evolution of supermassive black holes and galaxies over cosmic time. She has been teaching physics and astronomy as an assistant professor at Stonehill College since 2020.
Anna Frebel
MIT Kavli Institute
Anna Frebel is an award-winning astronomer and physics professor at MIT. Her research centers around the search for the oldest 13 billion year old stars in the universe. By using large telescopes, she is learning about the cosmic origins of the chemical elements and all that “star stuff”. Besides being a STEM professional for 20 years, she has been a science communicator using various formats (talks, podcasts, youtube videos, theater, articles, book) to connect people with science and the stars. She has a popular science book “Searching for the oldest stars: Ancient Relics from the Early Universe” (Princeton University Press), and a new theater play about the discovery of fission where she portrays Lise Meitner. She also teaches STEM leadership to prepare the next generation of scientists and engineers to thrive as thoughtful, ethical, and visionary leaders in tomorrow’s world.
Josh Grindlay
Harvard Astronomy and CfA
Josh Grindlay is the Robert Treat Paine Professor of Practical Astronomy at Harvard University. He earned his Ph.D. in Astrophysics from Harvard University.
Michael Hecht
MIT Haystack Observatory
Michael Hecht is a planetary scientist and the outgoing Associate Director for Research Management at the MIT Haystack Observatory. While at Haystack he led the Mars Oxygen ISRU Experiment (MOXIE), a payload on NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover aiming to expedite the era of human exploration of Mars. In the same period Mike also held leadership roles in the Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration that brought the world the first images of a supermassive black hole. Prior to coming to MIT Mike spent 30 years at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where he led the MECA investigation on the Phoenix mission and attained the rank of Senior Research Scientist.
Jeffrey Hoffman
MIT Aero/Astro
Jeffrey Hoffman is the Professor of the Practice of Aerospace Engineering at MIT. Hoffman flew five missions aboard the Space Shuttle, logging more than 1,211 hours and 21.5 million miles in space, including the first mission to repair the Hubble Telescope in 1993. He received his B.A. from Amherst College, his Ph.D. from Harvard University, and his M.S. from Rice University.
Mary Knapp
MIT Haystack Observatory
Mary Knapp is a research scientist at MIT Haystack Observatory. Her research interests include radio detection of exoplanets, development of space-based radio telescopes, and CubeSats mission design and instrumentation for novel science applications.
Wen Li
Boston University Department of Astronomy
Prof. Wen Li is an Associate Professor of Astronomy at Boston University, where she specializes in the study of space plasma waves, energetic particles, and their interactions within solar system plasmas.
Jonathan McDowell
CfA
Dr. Jonathan McDowell is an Astrophysicist and CXC Science Data Systems Group Lead at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. Dr. McDowell has a B.A. in Mathematics (1981) and a Ph.D. in Astrophysics (1987) from the University of Cambridge.
Max Mulhern
CfA
Max Mulhern is the head teaching assistant for two courses at Harvard University: ‘Astronomy 2: Celestial Navigation’ and ‘GENED 1037: Great Experiments That Changed Our World.’ He is also a research assistant in the Science Education Department. Mulhern is the creator of “Aqua Dice,” an art project that proposed an extremely low carbon emission maritime shipping solution and he is interested in incorporating the study of celestial navigation into the Fine Arts curriculum. Mulhern received his BA in English Literature from Swarthmore College and a Masters in Fine Arts from Beaux-Arts de Paris.
Jonathan Parham
MIT Lincoln Laboratory
Dr. J. Brent Parham is a member of the Technical Staff in the Applied Space Systems Group at MIT Lincoln Laboratory, where he has studied the space environment and its effects on national infrastructure for over the past decade. Before joining the group, Dr. Parham received a bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from MIT in 2010. During his time employed at Lincoln Laboratory he earned a master’s in Mechanical Engineering, and a doctorate in Electrical Engineering from Boston University as part of its Center for Space Physics. He has been involved with several cubesat build efforts over the years, while currently supporting several missions to develop next generation space weather and debris sensors.
Andrea Pocar
University of Massachusetts Amherst, Physics
Prof. Pocar is an experimental nuclear and particle physicist who interrogates the fundamental symmetries of nature through the study of neutrino properties and the investigation of the nature of dark matter. For the past two decades he has specialized in the design and operation of some of the most sensitive particle detectors for rare events. He has also developed a refined expertise of radon backgrounds and developed novel methods for their mitigation.
Irene Porro
Framingham University Christa McAuliffe Center
Dr. Irene Porro is the Director of the Christa Corrigan McAuliffe Center for Integrated Science Learning at Framingham State University. A professional scientist with a deep commitment to social justice, in her work Dr. Porro combines research skills in physics and astrophysics with an interdisciplinary approach to education to promote equity and diversity in STEM fields.
Dimitar Sasselov
Harvard Astronomy and CfA; Origins Initiative
Dr. Dimitar Sasselov is the Phillips Professor of Astronomy at Harvard University and the Director of Harvard’s Origins of Life Initiative. He is an astronomer who explores the interaction between light and matter.
Sara Seager
MIT EAPS & Aero/Astro
Sara Seager is the Class of 1941 Professor of Planetary Science, Professor of Physics, and Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She received her B.Sc. in mathematics and physics from the University of Toronto in 1994 and her Ph.D. in astronomy from Harvard University in 1999.
Vandana Singh
Framingham University Christa McAuliffe Center
Vandana Singh is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Physics and Earth Science at Framingham State University. She is a science fiction writer with a Ph.D. in particle physics.
Federica Spoto
CfA
Federica Spoto is a computational dynamicists at the Center for Astrophysics and the project scientist of the Minor Planet Center. Her research focuses on asteroid dynamics and chaotic orbit determination. She is also a member of the ESA Gaia mission, where she leads the validations of solar system objects.
Andrew Vanderburg
MIT Kavli Institute
Andrew Vanderburg is an observational astronomer whose research focuses on studying exoplanets, or planets which orbit stars other than the Sun. Andrew is interested in developing cutting-edge techniques and methods to discover new planets outside of our solar system, and studying those planets to learn their detailed properties.
Peter Vereš
CfA
Peter Vereš is an Astronomer at both the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and the Minor Planet Center. He graduated from Comenius University in Slovakia.
Nancy Wolfe Kotary
MIT Haystack Observatory
Nancy Wolfe Kotary is the Communications Officer at the MIT Haystack Observatory. Originally from New Hampshire, she attended Union College for her undergraduate and Indiana University for her graduate degree.
Planetary Sciences
Richard Binzel
MIT EAPS
Professor of Planetary Science for more than three decades, an expert in the telescopic characterization of asteroids and the outer solar system. Current research focuses on the connections between meteorites and asteroids, where the asteroid knowledge is applicable to both planetary defense and future resources for humans in space.
Roger Fu
Dept of Earth and Planetary Sciences
Roger Fu is the Assistant Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences and Head Tutor at Harvard University. For his Ph.D. work at MIT, he worked on meteorites. Most recently, Roger has been measuring carbonates and thinking about climate in the last five thousand years.
Space Law, Policy AND SOCIOLOGY
Alissa J. Haddaji
The Space Consortium
Alissa J. Haddaji is an Adjunct Professor in Space Law, Policy and Ethics and the coordinator of the UN-Mandated Space Mission Planning Advisory Group (SMPAG) Legal Working Group on Planetary Defense. She currently serves as the Chair of the International Astronautical Federation’s Near Earth Object & Planetary Defense committee and as the International Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) Representative to SMPAG. Faculty Advisor of the Harvard Law School Space Law Society (2017- 2022), launched the Space Consortium’s SPACE Academic Program in 2021 and has been teaching the Space Law, Policy and Ethics Consortium graduate seminar since then.
Joan Johnson-Freese
Harvard Extension School
Dr. Joan Johnson-Freese is an Adjunct Professor at the Harvard Extension School and Summer School. She served as Chair of the National Security Affairs Department from 2002-2010. Dr. Johnson-Freese received a B.A. from Bowling Green State University, an M.A. from Case Western Reserve University, and a Ph.D. from Kent State University.
Jefferson Mitchell
U.S. Space Force
Jeff Mitchell is an Acquisition Officer in the United States Space Force. He brings a diverse set of Space focused experiences across and in the U.S. military, intelligence community, international partnerships, workforce education, and supporting emerging new space companies. Jeff is passionate to help educate and empower the next generation of space change makers.
Dava Newman
MIT Media Lab
Dr. Dava Newman is a Professor in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics and Engineering Systems at MIT and affiliate faculty in the Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology Program. Newman earned her Ph.D. in aerospace biomedical engineering, Master of Science degrees in aerospace engineering and technology and policy all from MIT, and her Bachelor of Science degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Notre Dame.
Gerhard Sonnert
CfA
Gerhard Sonnert is a sociologist of science. He is a Research Associate and Lecturer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and an Education Specialist and Lecturer on Astronomy at Harvard University. He received a doctorate in sociology from the University of Erlangen in Germany and an M.A. in public administration from Harvard University.
Frank White
Harvard Extension School
Frank White is a Communications Consultant at Harvard University and has been teaching at the Harvard Extension School since 1995. White received a BA in social studies from Harvard College in 1962 and was selected as a Rhodes Scholar, earning an MPhil in politics from Oxford University in 1969.
Danielle Wood
MIT Media Lab
Professor Danielle Wood serves as an Assistant Professor in the Program in Media Arts & Sciences and holds a joint appointment in the Department of Aeronautics & Astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Wood studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she earned a Ph.D. in engineering systems, SM in aeronautics and astronautics, SM in technology policy, and SB in aerospace engineering.
Space Economics
Robert Neugeboren
Harvard Economics Dept.
Robert Neugeboren is Dean of Student and Alumni Affairs for the Division of Continuing Education and a lecturer on economics at Harvard University. He holds an AB in economics from Harvard and MPhil and Ph.D. degrees in economics from the University of Cambridge.
Matthew Weinzierl
HBS
Matt Weinzierl is the Joseph and Jacqueline Elbling Professor of Business Administration in the Business, Government, and the International Economy Unit at Harvard Business School and a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. Before completing his Ph.D. in economics at Harvard University in 2008, Professor Weinzierl served as the Staff Economist for Macroeconomics on the President’s Council of Economic Advisers and worked in the New York office of McKinsey & Company.
SPACE MEDICINE AND GENETICS
Erik Antonsen
MIT Aero/Astro
Dr. Antonsen is an expert in space medicine, aerospace engineering, and human system risk management. He was an Assistant Director for NASA’s Human Health and Performance Directorate. He is a practicing emergency medicine physician and holds BS, MS and PhD degrees in aeronautical and astronautical engineering
George Church
HMS
George Church leads Synthetic Biology at the Wyss Institute. Church is the Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School and the Professor of Health Sciences and Technology at Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He completed his undergraduate degree at Duke University and his Ph.D. at Harvard University.
Aleksandra Stankovic
HMS
Dr. Aleksandra Stankovic is the Director of the MGH Center for Space Medicine Research (CSMR). The goal of the CSMR is to support human health in space and on Earth, and to translate biomedical innovations from the spaceflight environment into new patient care solutions on Earth.
Ting Wu
HMS
Ting Wu is a Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School, Director of the Consortium for Space Genetics, and Director of the Personal Genetics Education Project (pgEd). She received her B.A. from Harvard University in Biology and her Ph.D. from Harvard Medical School in Genetics.
Space Engineering
Carl Barcroft
CfA
Carl Barcroft received his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Boise State University. Prior to arriving at the Center for Astrophysics (CfA), he spent seven years designing and developing electronics to power and drive electric propulsion systems for spacecraft as well as other electronic hardware for space applications. His role at the CfA is as a lead electrical engineer specializing in space electronics hardware design with an emphasis in power electronics, embedded systems, high voltage electronics and RF engineering.
Keith Karasek
SEAS
Keith R. Karasek is the Director of Experiential and Career Development in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
Julia Lee
SEAS
Julia Lee joined the Dean’s office at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences as the Executive Director for Education and Research in July 2014. Lee holds a Ph.D. in Astrophysics from Cambridge University, U.K. (1996-2000) and B.S. degrees in Mathematics and Astrophysics (1990-1994) from UCLA.
Prineha Narang
SEAS
Prineha Narang is an Assistant Professor at the John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard University. Prineha received her Sc.B. in Materials Science from Drexel University and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Applied Physics from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).
Tommy Sebastian
MIT Lincoln Laboratory
Senior Staff at MIT Lincoln Laboratory, AIAA Associate Fellow, and Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society. Leads early concept development, prototyping, and demonstration of advanced aerospace systems. Identifies connections between pre-requisite technologies and follow-on enabled systems to support hind/forecasting of capabilities and how they map across disciplines.
Robin Wordsworth
SEAS-EPS
Robin Wordsworth is the Gordon McKay Professor of Environmental Science and Engineering and the Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Harvard University. He completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Birmingham and his Ph.D. at the University of Oxford.
Space Architecture
Ariel Ekblaw
MIT Media Lab, Space Exploration Initiative
Ariel Ekblaw is the founder and Director of the MIT Space Exploration Initiative. Ariel brings a humanist approach to her research at MIT, with undergraduate degrees in Physics, Mathematics, and Philosophy from Yale University, and a master’s in distributed systems from the MIT Media Lab.
Cody Paige
MIT Media Lab
Dr. Cody Paige is the Director of the Space Exploration Initiative at the MIT Media Lab, a team of students, faculty and staff building and flying advanced technology and innovative ideas for space exploration. Cody began at MIT as a Fulbright Scholar and completed her Ph.D. in Aeronautics and Astronautics in 2023 focusing on enabling a permanent human presence on the Moon. Cody is also completing a Ph.D. in Geology and is an outdoor enthusiast.
EDUCATION & OUTREACH
Thom Burns
CfA
As Curator of the Harvard Plate Stacks and a Technical Art Historian, Thom brings an interdisciplinary approach to making important astronomical and historical materials available and accessible to a wide audience. From the history of photography, astrophotography, and women in astronomy, Thom’s interests are wide and varied. He works to make the individual and collective stories of Women Astronomical Computers at Harvard known and in turn inspire anyone to see themselves in the past and thus future of Space and Astronomy.
Deborah Douglas
MIT Museum
Deborah G. Douglas is Curator of Science and Technology at the MIT Museum. She received her A.B. in history from Wellesley College and holds A.M. and Ph.D. degrees in the History and Sociology of Science from the University of Pennsylvania.
Nazmus Nasir
Amateur Telescope Makers of Boston/Naztronomy
Naz has been involved in visual astronomy and astrophotography since 2012, with a strong focus on education and outreach. He runs a YouTube channel dedicated to sharing knowledge about astronomy and astrophotography, helping others get started and grow in the hobby.
Michael O’Shea
#popscope
Michael O’Shea is a professional educator, amateur astronomer, and qualitative researcher specializing in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Decolonization (DEID) questions, in education — particularly in informal science settings. His published research has explored DEID questions in access to higher education, students’ sense of belonging in higher education settings, and critical geographies of astronomy education access.
Talia Sepersky
Boston Museum of Science
Talia Sepersky has been a planetarium educator at the Museum of Science for 12 years. Talking about space is her favorite thing to do. Seriously, you won’t be able to get her to stop.
Michael Stack
Greater Lowell Technical HS
For the past 8 years, Michael Stack has been an Advanced CADD Shop instructor at Greater Lowell Technical HS. During this time they have expanded from teaching basic AutoCAD and Solidworks to having the program really explore the simulation and automation features. These simulations have allowed the shop to design items such as rockets and downforce wings for local race teams. This partnership with local schools and businesses have allowed our students to gain real world experience in these areas.
Maia Weinstock
MIT News
Maia Weinstock is an editor, writer, and producer of science and children’s media whose work has appeared in Scientific American, Discover, SPACE.com, BrainPOP, and Scholastic’s Science World. She is Deputy Editorial Director at MIT News, a lecturer at MIT on the history of women in STEM, and creator of LEGO’s “Women of NASA.”
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Free Massachusetts-wide Space Law, Policy & Ethics course
The Massachusetts “SPACE” Program, launched by the Space Consortium and supported by the Massachusetts Space Grant Consortium, introduces an innovative educational initiative for all Massachusetts residents. Aimed at democratizing access to space-related education, the “Scholarly Program for Aerospace Continuing Education” (SPACE) represents a significant step towards providing comprehensive and accessible space-related education across the state. This initiative kicks off with a pioneering, statewide Graduate Space Course on Space Law, Policy, and Ethics (SLPE), marking the first of its kind.
The SPACE Curriculum is designed to be inclusive and accessible to all Massachusetts residents, regardless of their academic institution and economic background. This approach aims to not only democratizes access to specialized knowledge in space studies but also encourages a multidisciplinary dialogue among students from diverse academic backgrounds.
Space faculty across Massachusetts are encouraged to join this volunteer educational effort by contributing courses, seminars, or workshops to the MA SPACE Program. This call to action seeks to harness statewide academic expertise to expand the curriculum’s offerings, enhancing the academic landscape for students passionate about space studies. Faculty interested in participating or seeking more information can reach out via email at contact@spaceconsortium.org, contributing to a community-driven initiative that shapes the future of space studies education in Massachusetts.
Local STAR Gazette
The monthly STAR (Space Transdisciplinary Academic Research) Gazette aims to recap all space-related news and events in the Cambridge and Boston area.
Have events or major space news coming up, and you would like to see them featured in next month’s gazette? Feel free to fill out this event form and/or to send your information for publication to input@spaceconsortium.org.
