October 16, 2014

On October 16, President Obama nominated MIT professor Dava Newman as Deputy Administrator of NASA. Previous Deputy Administrator Lori Garver resigned in September 2013 to manage the Air Line Pilots Association.

Dr. Newman is a Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics and Engineering Systems at MIT, where she earned her doctorate in aerospace biomedical engineering. Her research focuses on human activity in low-gravity environments, and her team is in the process of designing a revolutionary, lightweight, form-fitting spacesuit that uses mechanical counterpressure to allow for greater mobility.

Dr. Newman brings diverse experience in both science and policy to her role at NASA. She has acted as Director for the MIT Technology and Policy Program since 2003, and she serves on the technical panel of the National Academies’ Committee on Human Spaceflight. She also contributed to a 2008 report from the Space, Policy, and Society Research Group at MIT that focuses on the future of human spaceflight.

Sources: NASA, MIT, Space News

Updated 11/4/14