NASA Astronaut Deniz Burnham

Deniz Burnham was selected by NASA to join the 2021 Astronaut Candidate Class. She reported for duty in January 2022. A former intern at NASA’s Ames Research Center, she earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of California, San Diego, and a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Burnham is an experienced leader in the energy industry, having managed onsite drilling projects on oil rigs for over a decade, including the Arctic in Alaska, Northern Alberta in Canada, and Texas. Burnham served in the U.S. Navy Reserves as an Engineering Duty Officer. She is a licensed private pilot with the following ratings: airplane single engine land and sea, instrument airplane, and rotorcraft-helicopter.