Climate Action + Lunar Exploration

NAVAJO NATION

Justin Ahasteen is Bilagáana (white) born for Tótsohnii (Big Water). His maternal grandfather is Bilagáana and his paternal grandfather is Kiisʼáanii (Hopi). Originally from White Cone Arizona, he is currently the Executive Director of the Navajo Nation Washington Office, leading the Navajo Nation’s Infrastructure, Veteran Affairs, Social Services, Health, and Public Safety portfolios. He is a decorated Marine Corps veteran, earned a Bachelor’s in Justice Studies Minoring in Public Administration, and is currently a candidate for a Master of Legal Studies in Indigenous Law with the University of Oklahoma.

AUSTRALIA

Dr Alice Gorman is a space archaeologist and author of the award-winning book Dr Space Junk vs the Universe: Archaeology and the Future, which examines the artifacts of human encounters with space. She is also a heritage consultant with over 30 years experience working with Indigenous communities in Australia. Gorman is a Vice Chair of the Global Expert Group on Sustainable Lunar Activities and a Fellow of the Outer Space Institute. Asteroid 551014 Gorman is named after her.

FRANCE

Dr Worms is the Executive Director of the international Committee for Space Research. COSPAR was created in 1958 to promote international research in space and provide a forum to all space scientists, regardless of geopolitical differences. He holds a PhD in physics, astronomy and space science from the University Pierre et Marie Curie. Backed by 30+ years practiced experience in science and science management and over twenty-five years of experience in international space research projects, he was previously Chief Executive of the European Science Foundation (ESF).

USA + INDIA

Dr Namrata Goswami is an author, professor and consultant specializing in space policy, international relations and ethnic identity. She has been a Research Fellow at institutions in India, Norway, Australia, Germany, the United States, and was a Fulbright Senior Fellowship Awardee. She co-authored Scramble for the Skies: The Great Power Competition to Control the Resources of Outer Space (2020) and authored The Naga Ethnic Movement for a Separate Homeland (2020). She is currently working on two academic book projects, China’s Grand Strategy and Notions of Territoriality and Spacepower Theory and Practice: Case Studies of U.S. China, India, Russia and Japan.

CANADA

Aaron Boley is an associate professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of British Columbia. His research explores a wide range of topics, including planetary dynamics, astrophysical discs, meteoritics, space sustainabilityand security, and space policy. Before joining the faculty at UBC, Boley was a NASA Sagan Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Florida and a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute for Theoretical Physics at the University of Zurich. He is the Co-Director of the Outer Space Institute and co-author of Who Owns Outer Space? International Law, Astrophysics, and the Sustainable Development of Space.

NAVAJO NATION

Alvin Donel Harvey is of the Tó-baazhni'ázhi (Two Who Came To the Water) clan and born for the Honágháahnii (One-walks-around) clan. He is a MIT PhD candidate in the Aeronautics and Astronautics department’s Human Systems Lab and president of the MIT Native American Student Association. Harvey’s PhD focuses on Indigenous Research Methodologies and Methods in Aeronautics and Astronautics. Prior work includes research in partial gravity biomechanics, applied thermodynamics, and extensive historical research examining cases ofconflict between Indigenous Nations and space agencies and entities. Harvey recently authored the Nature article, Stop Sending Human Remains to the Moon.

CARIBBEAN

Recognized as a White House Champion of Change, Dr Claire Nelson is Ideation Leader of The Futures Forum and Sagient Futures. She speaks on issues pertaining to economic development, globalization, and issues concerning the Caribbean, and authored the book SMART Futures for a Flourishing World: A Paradigm Shift for Achieving Global Sustainability (2021). Nelson has been a frontrunner placing the topic of social exclusion and diversity on the agenda of multilateral development assistance institutions. She actively works on projects bringing space research to African nations and was the first Jamaican woman to earn a Doctorate degree in an engineering discipline.

USA

Dr. Martin Elvis is an astrophysicist at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard and Smithsonian. He has published nearly 500 papers that have been cited over 38,000 times. He publishes widely on asteroid and lunar resources and the space economy. He is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a Member of the Aspen Center for Physics, and is past-Chair of the Hubble Space Telescope Users’ Committee and of the High Energy Division of the American Astronomical Society, and is co-chair of the International Astronomical Union working group on "Astronomy from the Moon". Asteroid 9283 Martinelvis is named after him. His book Asteroids: How love, fear, and greed will determine our future in Space was published by Yale University Press in 2021.

JORDAN + CANADA + PALESTINE

Sahba is an interdisciplinary researcher, social entrepreneur, and sustainability advocate. She is Founder of the Jordan Space Research Initiative, which aims to bridge sustainable development with space exploration, and the Palestine Space Institute, a think tank devoted to decoupling space from the military-industrial complex. Sahba holds a BASc in Mechanical Engineering from the University of British Columbia, an MSc in Space Studies from the International Space University, and is now pursuing her PhD in Sustainable Development and Climate Change at IUSS Pavia in Italy. She is committed to creating opportunities for underrepresented communities in space and helping guide the space industry towards a more equitable, ethical, and sustainable future.