Bhavya Lal

Dr. Bhavya Lal most recently served as NASA’s Associate Administrator for Technology, Policy, and Strategy, advising the NASA Administrator and senior leadership on a broad spectrum of domestic and international policy issues, strategic planning, and technology investments. During her tenure, she led the Office of Technology, Policy, and Strategy (OTPS), and broke new ground as the first woman to act as NASA’s Chief Technologist. In the early days of the Biden Administration, she was the highest-ranking Administration representative at NASA, serving as the acting Chief of Staff. In all these roles, Dr. Lal was instrumental in advancing the NASA Moon-to-Mars Artemis program, and spearheading initiatives in planetary defense, space sustainability, quantum science and engineering, artificial intelligence, space ethics, and space nuclear systems. She also played a pivotal role in formulating critical policies on international competition and commercial space ventures. 

Before joining NASA, Dr. Lal directed influential analyses on space science, commercial space, and human exploration at the Institute for Defense Analyses’ Science and Technology Policy Institute (STPI). Her academic credentials include bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nuclear engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), an additional master’s from MIT’s Technology and Policy Program, and a Ph.D. in Public Policy and Public Administration from George Washington University. She is a member of the honor societies for both nuclear engineering and public policy and public administration. Dr. Lal’s extensive research and leadership have earned her numerous accolades, including the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, and induction as a Full Member into the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) and the YWCA’s Academy of Women Achievers.