Randii Wessen

Dr. Wessen has been a NASA employee since 1984 March with most of the time spent at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).  He is currently at the NASA Ames Research Center as Director for the New Opportunities Center, the organization that supports the development of compelling and scientifically relevant mission proposals.  He is also helping with the development of a line of spacecraft to allow biologists and physicist have greater access to space.  Prior to that, he worked at JPL as the Project Manager of the Science Understanding through Data Science effort, the Proposal Manager for a billion-dollar X-Ray Telescope (HEX-P), and the Lead Study Architect for JPL’s Innovation Foundry’s A-Team.  He was also the Manager of the Cassini Science Planning & Operations Team, the Galileo Deputy Sequence Team Chief, and the Voyager Science Sequence Coordinator for the Uranus & Neptune encounters.

Dr. Wessen received his Bachelor of Science in both Physics & Astronomy from Stony Brook University, a Master of Science in Astronautics from the University of Southern California, and a Doctorate in Operations Research from the University of South Wales, United Kingdom.  He co-authored the books “Neptune: The Planet, Rings and Satellites” & “Planetary Ring Systems.”  He was the recipient of NASA’s Exceptional Service Medal for his contributions to the Voyager 2 Neptune Encounter and has eleven NASA Group Achievement Awards.  Dr. Wessen is also a fellow of both the Royal Astronomical Society and the British Interplanetary Society and an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronautics. Asteroid 31664 (Randiiwessen) is named in his honor.