Maya Nasr

Dr. Maya Nasr is an aerospace engineer, scientist, and expert in space policy and governance. She is a Technology & Geopolitics Fellow in Space Policy at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center, where her work focuses on space governance and the emerging lunar economy. She is also the project lead and co-founder of HUMANS, an international ISS, Moon, and deep-space payload initiative expanding global access to space.

Her career spans spacecraft operations, mission planning, systems engineering, technology strategy, and international space policy. She has contributed to NASA’s Mars 2020 Perseverance rover mission through MOXIE, Cassini mission activities on Titan, the OneWeb satellite constellation, commercial lunar missions, and the MethaneSAT mission. Maya also teaches and mentors students in engineering, policy, and technology innovation.

Maya serves on the International Astronautical Federation’s Space Economy Committee and contributes to international space law and policy through leading professional organizations. An award-winning scientist and engineer, she was named to the Forbes Middle East 30 Under 30 list in Science & Technology and selected as a Karman Pioneer. Her work and perspectives have been featured by The New York Times, NPR, The Guardian, TIME, Forbes, ABC News, SpaceNews, MIT News, and other international media. She is also a frequent public speaker on space, technology, and global governance, including as a TEDx speaker. She holds BS, MS, and PhD degrees in Aerospace Engineering from MIT.