Apollo Program Professor of Astronautics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Former Director, MIT Media Lab

Former Deputy Administrator, NASA

Introduction:

Dr. Dava Newman is a renowned designer, aerospace engineer, and interdisciplinary research leader. She is the Apollo Program Professor of Astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a faculty member in the Harvard–MIT Health Sciences and Technology program. She previously served as Director of the MIT Media Lab and as Deputy Administrator of NASA. Her work brings together engineering, design, and human-centered science, with pioneering research in human spaceflight, astronaut performance, and advanced spacesuit systems. She is particularly known for the BioSuit , a “second-skin” planetary spacesuit concept that reimagines how design and technology can support human mobility in extreme environments. More recently, her research has expanded to AI, data visualization, and Earth systems through initiatives such as Earth Speaks , exploring how technology and design can help shape a more sustainable future for our planet. Her career embodies a distinctive vision of innovation— connecting space and Earth, science and design, and technological possibility with human experience.

Jury Citation:

Dava Newman has redefined the frontiers of human exploration through design. By uniting science, engineering, and human-centered design, she has transformed technology around the needs of the body, the environment, and the future—expanding the very possibilities of what design can achieve for humanity