Alyssa Barlis

Alyssa Barlis is the Deputy Program Manager for the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC), Early Career Initiative (ECI), and Center Innovation Fund (CIF) programs. A scientist by training and an engineer by professional experience, she specializes in developing instrumentation technologies to achieve ambitious space science goals. Alyssa earned her PhD in Physics & Astronomy from the University of Pennsylvania, where her work as a NASA Space Technology Research Fellow focused on developing superconducting detectors into camera systems to be used on future far-infrared space telescopes. As an Optical Engineer at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, she has worked on flight projects throughout the design and implementation project phases as well as research and development efforts. Alyssa led test campaigns to demonstrate that the lidar sensor on the Dragonfly mission will work in the extreme operating environment of Saturn’s moon Titan. In collaboration with researchers at Goddard and NASA’s Glenn Research Center, she developed a novel optical filter technology based on aerogel materials. Alyssa is energized by connecting cross-disciplinary teams and clearing paths for innovators to pioneer transformational space technologies. 

Email: hq-niac@mail.nasa.gov