Omid Noroozian

After 15 years as a civil servant, engineer, and policy wonk, I planned to be a NASA lifer. I have been so happy at NASA, working on the most exciting efforts in space exploration, especially with NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS). I led NASA’s recent Ignition Day request for information on lunar science and technology payloads to support an increased cadence up to 10 CLPS lunar landings per year. I’m incredibly proud of the teams I've been part of in NASA human space flight, science, and strategy. And yet, I resigned from federal service on Friday, May 1, for an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. I’m excited to share that I’ve become the Deputy Director of the Consortium for Science, Policy & Outcomes at Arizona State University and a Professor of Practice in the ASU Rob Walton College of Global Futures (CGF), working with Arthur Daemmrich, Mahmud Farooque and more. I’ll be staying in Washington, DC, working out of ASU’s building near Farragut West Metro. In many ways, CSPO and ASU feels like a continuation of the same mission that’s driven me at NASA Headquarters. I’ve spent years working across mission directorates, helping shape strategy, and trying to get people in different silos not just talking, integrating their work to build a stronger space program. What excites me about CSPO and CGF is the mandate to do research on steering science and engineering to better societal outcomes, while engaging with practitioners leading federal science and engineering efforts. Federal science and engineering efforts can run at a thousand miles an hour, and it’s hard to take the time to reflect more deeply on how and where to go. CSPO tries to create space for that reflection and studies how to make the most of it. I'm very grateful to my immediate colleagues in NASA's Science Mission Directorate's Exploration Science Strategy Integration Office (ESSIO), and many friends and colleagues across NASA HQ and the centers. I'm so excited to see what we do with Moon Base and the Lunar Science and Discovery Program. I'll post more info later on my research agenda - I intend to stay active on space and space policy topics - and other planned CSPO work. I'll just say for now that I’ll be co-chairing the upcoming Forum on Philosophy, Engineering and Technology (fPET) at the University of Maryland on June 9-11. And you can follow CSPO above to track the events and research discussions we organize in DC and online.

🎖️ Proud moment for Lithuania. Ambassador Gediminas Varvuolis attended the National Academy of Sciences award ceremony yesterday, where the prestigious 2026 James Craig Watson Medal was presented to Lithuanian-American physicist Prof. Jonas Zmuidzinas (Caltech) in recognition of his groundbreaking advances in astronomical detection technologies. Prof. Zmuidzinas’s seminal work on novel detection methods and instrumentation has opened new frontiers in astronomy. The National Academy of Sciences: "Working at the intersection of astronomy, engineering, and physics, Zmuidzinas has developed ultra-sensitive detectors and innovative astronomical devices that are enabling the next generation of space- and ground-based astronomical surveys. His inventions include super‐conducting microwave kinetic inductance detectors (MKIDs or KIDs), a transformational technology enabling observations from millimeter to X-ray wavelengths, with applications ranging from the cosmology and exoplanet science to neutrino detection and synchrotron X-ray spectroscopy. He also developed and implemented terahertz heterodyne spectrometers that have been critical to studies of star formation, significantly expanding the scientific capabilities of the Kuiper Airborne Observatory and the Herschel Space Observatory. In addition to his technical innovations, Zmuidzinas has provided key leadership and service to the astrophysics community. He has served on numerous study teams for next-generation facilities for astrophysics and held the roles of Chief Technologist at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Director of the Caltech Optical Observatories." Congratulations, Prof. Žmuidzinas! We are proud and wish you continued success in your future endeavors.

Huge congratulations to Dr. Erika Hamden, named a 2026 Guggenheim Fellow! Selected from nearly 5,000 applicants across 55 disciplines, Erika is being recognized for her groundbreaking work building next-generation detectors — opening up entirely new frontiers in ultraviolet astronomy that were previously out of reach. She's the PI of the Eos Mission, Deputy PI of Aspera, director of the UArizona Space Institute, a TV host, AND a published author. The Guggenheim Fellowship recognizes that science — like art — is a deeply creative process. Erika embodies that beautifully. Read more: https://bit.ly/4u43Klw

My love for learning didn’t start in a classroom. It grew from the experience of spending time in nature. I used to think that my love for science came from the formal institutions that exposed me to books and ideas. Now I see it started much earlier. My grandfather's farm was nestled in the Andean mountains where I climbed trees, swam in the river, and chased chicks, bunnies, and piglets. Other animals chased me! At the time, all that aimless wandering just felt like child's play. Looking back, that was the start of intellectual curiosity and freedom. Growing up in Ecuador, learning was an experiential endeavor. My intellectual endeavors would come much later Somewhere along the way, I also learned to value knowledge that could be observed, measured, structured, and tested. Today on Earth Day, I want to pay tribute to the place that shaped me. I can still close my eyes and return to that place that sparked awe and wonder. Protecting the planet isn’t just about the future. It’s about honoring the places that shaped who we are _______ 📸 : My grandfather's farm & Papallacta hot springs at waters at 3,300m (10,850 ft) of altitude.

Yesterday we held the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Media Day. Administrator Isaacman revealed in the morning that we are targeting an early September 2026 launch (eight months ahead of schedule). It has taken a decade to get to this point, due to the many millions of hours of dedicated work from thousands of people across the country and around the world. It is a privilege to share my enthusiasm for this next great observatory at today’s Media Day and am thrilled to be so close to our upcoming launch.

𝐓𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐃𝐚𝐲. From space, we see the beauty of our Earth every day using satellites. These satellites are our watchful eyes in space that help monitor our climate, so that we can better protect our planet. The Dutch #SPEXone instrument onboard NASA’s #PACE satellite studies the properties of aerosols to get a better understanding of this still uncertain factor in climate change. #EarthDay #EarthObservation #ClimateScience #SpaceResearch #Satellites #Aerosols #ClimateChange #NASA #EarthFromSpace #sronspace

These are stunning HiRISE images from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, highlighting ancient valley networks on Mars—branching systems of channels that provide some of the strongest evidence for liquid water flowing across the Martian surface billions of years ago (primarily in the Noachian period, ~4+ billion years ago). The first (wider) image shows a dense, highly branched network of valleys snaking across heavily cratered terrain. Note the two branches that appear to start from or connect to circular depressions—these could be ancient impact crater floors that once held water or served as sources for runoff, or possibly other features like degraded basins. The valleys themselves look incised into the landscape, with floors now partially filled by younger aeolian (wind-blown) dunes aligned roughly north-south. These dunes catch the afternoon sunlight beautifully, creating those bright, ribbed highlights. The second (closer) image zooms in on one section of those dune-filled valley floors. The sharp, elongated dune forms stand out dramatically against the smoother surrounding terrain, showing how wind has reshaped the interior of these old water-carved channels over time.

Mark Rayner wasn't just a colleague, he was one of my closest friends. We had so much in common that we always joked in an alternate universe, we must have been twins. Even though we had grown up in different parts of the world, we had read the same books, had the same favourite philosophers, same favourite artists, same favourite places on earth. We had discussed so many new ideas for CERN Courier that we were going to work on while I'm at CERN. Little did I know, his trajectory in this universe was coming to a sudden end 😔 😢 😭 P.S. The photos are temporally 14 years apart. P.P.S. https://lnkd.in/dJrK9dcJ

This last week has been bittersweet, as my second tour of public service officially ended after nearly 14 years at NASA. When I returned to the government as NASA’s Prizes & Challenges Program Executive in 2012, I could not have imagined the impact, scale, & reach of the work I’d get to pursue, the amazing colleagues I’d get to work with, and the innovation & opportunity we’d open for so many people and missions. Serving as the White House's Assistant Director for Open Innovation, NASA's SBIR Program Executive, NASA's Director of Early Stage Innovation & Partnerships, and finally the STMD Deputy Associate Administrator for Management—none of it was on my bingo card. It was truly the honor of a lifetime to work with such a world class team, both at NASA and at the White House OSTP, to deliver increasingly innovative technologies, problem solving approaches, and methods for engaging broadly and inclusively—because that’s what enables breakthroughs. Together, we: 💰 Deployed >$2B in early stage R&D funding, facility access, subject matter expertise, & capacity building support to the aerospace community—creating the strategy & culture to turn early R&D into technologies that fly. Examples of STMD bridging the gap between lab research and real-world use include solar arrays now powering the International Space Station & navigation tech that landed Perseverance on Mars. 📡 Paved paths for small businesses & entrepreneurs to bring their technology to NASA’s mission. We listened to founders, companies, & customers and created SBIR Sequentials and IGNITE to incentivize private sector co-investment & shorten the time to move technologies from idea to mission use. 🙋‍♀️ Broadened the entire Federal Government’s innovation community to engage tens of thousands of innovators across the globe in hundreds of prizes, grand challenges, & crowdsourcing activities, resulting in solutions that accelerate technology development & discovery while giving the public a gateway to work on public sector problems. 🧩 Created forums, such as Fellows in Innovation & the Federal Innovation Council, for innovation leaders in government to connect across agencies, share their lessons for implementing new approaches, & support one another in the sometimes lonely & thankless work of pushing on the status quo. I’m proud of the solutions & technologies we delivered, but also HOW we delivered those technologies. Having impact at scale is a team sport that requires integrity, humility, competence & commitment. I’ve seen time & time again what’s possible when you embrace possibility, think creatively, partner effectively, & keep the customer top of mind. More news to come on my next chapter, but for now, I want to express my thanks for the opportunities, people, & experiences that shaped my life for nearly 14 years & to acknowledge the innovators within government that continue to selflessly deliver for the American people (as evidenced by Artemis II!) Ad Astra