On Monday, Bhavya Lal and Indian-American was appointed as the Acting Cheif of Staff by US Space Agency in NASA.
Previously she served as a member of the Biden Presidential Transition Agency Review Team for the agency was responsible for the agency’s transition under the administration of President Joe Biden.
NASA in a statement mentioned that Lal brings extensive experience in engineering and space technology, serving as a member of the research staff at the Institute for Defence Analyses Science and Technology Policy Institute (STPI) from 2005 to 2020.
She there led the analysis of space technology, strategy, and policy for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and National Space Council, as well as federal space-oriented organisations, including NASA, the Department of Defence, and the intelligence community.
She served two consecutive terms on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Federal Advisory Committee on Commercial Remote Sensing and was an External Council member of NASA’s Innovative Advanced Concepts Program and the Technology, Innovation and Engineering Advisory Committee of the NASA Advisory Council.
She co-founded and is co-chair of the policy track of the American Nuclear Society’s annual conference on Nuclear and Emerging Technologies in Space (NETS) and co-organises a seminar series on space history and policy with the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.
She was nominated and selected to be a Corresponding Member of the International Academy of Astronautics; for her many contributions to the space sector.
From the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Lal received her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in nuclear engineering, as well as a Master of Science degree in technology and policy. Additionally, she holds a doctorate in public policy and public administration from George Washington University.
