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NORTH AMERICAN Newsline NOVEMBER 26, 2021 | The Indian Eye 19

bhavya Lal takes lead role at new nasa office

The role involves to provide data- and evidence-driven technology, policy,
and strategy advice to the US space agency’s leadership

OuR BuREAu of Science and Technology Policy served on five high-impact National
(OSTP) and National Space Coun- Academy of Sciences, Engineering,
Washington, DC
cil, as well as federal space-oriented and Medicine (NASEM) Commit-
havya Lal has been given the organizations, including NASA, the tees including, most recently, one on
lead role at a new NASA of- Department of Defense, and the in- Space Nuclear Propulsion Technolo-
bfice to provide data- and evi- telligence community. gies released in 2021.
dence-driven technology, policy, and She has applied her expertise She served two consecutive terms
strategy advice to the US space agen- in engineering systems and innova- on the National Oceanic and Atmo-
cy’s leadership. Lal, who previously tion theory and practice to topics in spheric Administration (NOAA)
served as NASA’s acting chief of staff space, with recent projects on com- Federal Advisory Committee on
during the presidential transition and mercial activities in low-Earth orbit Commercial Remote Sensing (AC-
senior advisor for budget and finance, and deep space, in-orbit servicing CRES) and was an External Council
was made Associate Administrator for assembly and manufacturing, small member of NASA’s Innovative Ad-
the Office of Technology, Policy and satellites, human exploration, space vanced Concepts (NIAC) Program
Strategy (OTPS) earlier this month. nuclear power, space exploration, and the Technology, Innovation and
Formed with the merger of the and acting chief of staff at NASA for and space science. Engineering Advisory Committee of
Office of Strategic Engagements and the first 100 days of the Biden Ad- She has published more than the NASA Advisory Council (NAC).
Assessments and the Office of the ministration. Before that, she served 50 papers in peer-reviewed journals She co-founded and is co-chair
Chief Technologist, OTPS will support as a member of the Biden Presiden- and conference proceedings. Before of the policy track of the American
NASA leadership in developing and tial Transition Agency Review Teams joining STPI, Lal served as president Nuclear Society’s annual conference
guiding the agency’s activities across for both NASA and the Department of C-STPS LLC, a science and tech- on Nuclear and Emerging Technol-
its six mission directorates. As the lead of Defense. nology policy research and consult- ogies in Space (NETS) and co-or-
for the organization, Lal brings her Lal served as a member of the ing firm in Waltham, Massachusetts. ganizes a seminar series on space
extensive experience and background research staff at the Institute for De- Prior to that, she served as director of history and policy with the Smithso-
in space technology, exploration, sci- fense Analyses (IDA) Science and the Center for Science and Technol- nian National Air and Space Muse-
ence, and policy to the role. according Technology Policy Institute (STPI) ogy Policy Studies at Abt Associates um. For her many contributions to
to NASA. She will report to NASA from 2005 to 2020, according to her Inc. in Cambridge, Massachusetts. the space sector, she was nominated
Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy. NASA profile. There, she led analy- Lal is an active member of the and selected to be a Corresponding
In January 2021, Lal was the se- sis of space technology, strategy, and space technology and policy commu- Member of the International Acade-
nior-most White House appointee policy for the White House Office nity, having chaired, co-chaired, or my of Astronautics.