Speakers

Alex Li is an Outer Space law and policy enthusiast who has published several law review articles examining various aspects of space law. He is also the founder of #TheSpaceBar® blog (www.onthespacebar.com) where he writes about Outer Space-related laws, policies, and regulations. By day, Alex currently serves as a senior counsel at a technology company. He is a graduate of Duke University with a double major in Economics and Biomedical Engineering, later earning his J.D. (Order of the Coif) from UC Berkeley School of Law. Following law school, he clerked for the Honorable Robert E. Bacharach on the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit and worked as an associate at Latham & Watkins and Gunderson Dettmer.

Amy Schmid is a Professor in the Department of Biology here at Duke. She received her BS in Biology and German from Marquette University and PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology from University of Washington. Following her postdoctoral fellowship at the Institute for Systems Biology, she opened her lab at Duke in 2009. She is a molecular microbiologist and systems biologist whose interdisciplinary research seeks to elucidate mechanisms of extreme biological resilience. She teaches classes on General Microbiology, Origins of Cellular Life, and Molecular Biology. Her research focuses on microorganisms known as extremophiles that remain viable in boiling temperatures, saturated salt, acid, and more. However, extremophiles also adapt during wide variations in conditions and nutrients and therefore provide a study system for both constant and dynamic stress resistance mechanisms. Because extremophiles resemble life’s earliest ancestors, they can teach us about the origins of life, resilience mechanisms shared amongst extant life, and simulate life in extraterrestrial environments. You can learn more about Prof. Schmid’s research at https://scholars.duke.edu/person/amy.schmid.

Anna Mallard is an MA Candidate in the Applied Ethics and Policy Program at Duke University within the Science and Society Initiative. Her research focus is the philosophy of technology and her MA work has particularly centered around the ethical use of emerging technologies in space. She recently defended her thesis on the rationale for continuing a human spaceflight program in the context of advanced autonomous systems, and is looking to carry her work forward beyond Duke as she continues to inquire into what remains essentially human in a time of ever-increasing technological development and integration.

Chase is a regulatory attorney at Akin Gump in Washington, D.C. He practices international trade and space law, including export controls and sanctions; FAA, FCC, and NOAA licensing for space and launch activities; and international space law. He is Duke Law alum (2021), during which time he helped design and lead the 2020 - 2021 Bass Connections project DeCIPHER 4 - Going to Mars: Science, Society and Sustainability. Chase writes and speaks on issues in space law, emerging technology governance, existential risks, and effective altruism.

Chelsea is a fourth-year MEM/JD student at Duke University, focusing on environmental economics, policy, and law. She holds dual degrees in Biology and Anthropology from the University of Miami, where her undergraduate research ranged from behavioral ecology in the Galápagos Islands to archaeological fieldwork in Puerto Rico and the Yucatán Peninsula. Prior to graduate school, she worked in collections management at the Frost Museum of Science and the Seminole Tribe of Florida’s Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum. Her current work explores the intersection of environmental and space-related legal questions. She is the project manager for the Bass Connections team Future Space Settlements: Lessons from History and has studied space law as part of her legal coursework. After graduation, she will join the complex litigation team at Paul Hastings LLP in San Francisco, where she expects to focus on environmental and energy-related matters.

Dominic is a third-year medical student at Duke University School of Medicine. He is currently researching the formation of blood clots in microgravity and has previous work experience with NASA’s Exploration Medical Capabilities (ExMC) team designing health care procedures for microgravity contexts.

Erika Nesvold has a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Maryland and has performed computational astrophysics research at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, the Carnegie Institution for Science, NASA Ames, and SETI. She now works as an astrophysics engineer on Universe Sandbox, a physics-based astronomy video game. Erika is the co-founder of the JustSpace Alliance, a nonprofit advocating for a more inclusive and ethical future in space. She is the author of Off-Earth: Ethical Questions and Quandaries for Living in Outer Space and the co-editor of Reclaiming Space: Progressive and Multicultural Visions of Space Exploration.

Giovanni Zanalda (PhD, Johns Hopkins University) is Professor of the Practice in the Social Science Research Institute (SSRI), Department of Economics, and Department of History at Duke University. He is an economic historian and teaches Space Economics, Emerging Markets, Financial Crises, and the International Economy 1850-present in the Department of Economics, and Globalization & History in the Sanford School of Public Policy. He is the Director of the Rethinking Diplomacy Program and founder of the Space Diplomacy Lab. He is a faculty co-leader of the 2024-25 Bass Connections Project “The Future of Space Settlements: Lessons from History”. Zanalda’s current research and projects include space diplomacy and governance, emerging space nations; current trends in space economy with a particular focus on public-private partnerships, satellites industry, finance, spaceports, and supply chains; and on tech innovation and norms to mitigate and reverse the proliferation of space debris in LEO.

Dr. Jessica Snyder is an inventor, explorer, and engineer with a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Drexel University, where she studied biofabrication and tissue engineering in collaboration with NASA Human Adaptation and Countermeasures division. She joined MIT’s Senseable City Lab as a postdoc. Their interdisciplinary team mapped viruses, chemicals, and bacteria in urban wastewater—research that became the foundation for Biobot Analytics, a public health startup that tracked COVID-19 across the U.S. She now works at NASA Ames Research Center in the Planetary Systems Branch, developing life-support systems for off-planet exploration alongside astrobiologists and evolutionary biologists. Dr. Snyder has sailed Antarctica’s South Shetland Islands and participated in lunar mission simulations in Hawaii’s lava fields. Each endeavor has given her humility, enthusiasm, and a deeper conviction that humanity already has many of the answers we seek.

John Rummel is a Principal Partner with Friday Harbor (Washington) Partners LLC. Previously, he was a Senior Scientist with the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California, and was a Visiting Scholar at McGill University’s Institute of Air and Space Law in Montréal from 2014-2018. He was the founding director of East Carolina University’s Institute for Coastal Science and Policy, and retired from ECU as a Professor of Biology in 2015. He is the former (and founding) Chair of COSPAR’s Panel on Planetary Protection, and represented the International Union of Biological Sciences on the COSPAR Council. Rummel has previously worked as NASA’s Senior Scientist for Astrobiology and as NASA’s Planetary Protection Officer (PPO). From 1988 to 1994 he was responsible for both the Life Support and Exobiology Implementation Teams under the US-USSR/Russia Joint Working Group in Space Biology and Medicine. Between NASA assignments (1994-1998) he was the Director of Research Administration and Education at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. Rummel is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (1990) “for leadership in fostering NASA-sponsored life science research,” the recipient of the Life Sciences Award from the International Academy of Astronautics (2005) “for significant and lasting contributions to the advancement of the astronautical sciences,” and was awarded the NASA Exceptional Performance Award (2008) “for outstanding management of space science programs...” He is the 2023 recipient of the SETI Institute's Frank Drake Award “for his lifelong contributions to the field of Astrobiology, his leadership in the domain of planetary protection, and his years of service to both NASA and the SETI Institute.”

Jonathan Schisler, MS, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmacology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His research leverages systems biology to enhance human resilience in extreme environments, focusing on the physiological demands of space exploration. Dr. Schisler integrates multi-omics, data analytics, and interdisciplinary team science to study stress response mechanisms and metabolic regulation, addressing critical health challenges for space travel and settlements in space. His work aims to bolster human adaptability to extraterrestrial conditions through innovative molecular and computational approaches. As a panelist at the Duke Space Symposium 2025, Dr. Schisler is eager to share his expertise and collaborate with researchers and students to advance medical solutions for space exploration.

Jonathan B. Wiener is the William R. Perkins Professor of Law, and Professor of Environmental Policy and of Public Policy, at the Law, Nicholas and Sanford schools of Duke University; and the co-director of the Duke Center on Risk in the Science & Society Initiative. He is a co-leader of the Duke Bass Connections project on “Future Space Settlements: Lessons from History” (2024-25), and the earlier project on “Going to Mars: Science, Society and Sustainability” (2020-21). He is a Past President of the Society for Risk Analysis (SRA), and a University Fellow of Resources for the Future (RFF). His publications include the article “Interplanetary Risk Regulation” (with Chase Hamilton), in the Chicago J. Int’l Law (forthcoming 2025), and the books Advanced Introduction to Risk Regulation (Edward Elgar Press, forthcoming, with Arden Rowell); Policy Shock: Recalibrating Risk and Regulation after … Crises (Cambridge Univ. Press, 2017, with Ed Balleisen, Lori Bennear, and Kim Krawiec); The Reality of Precaution: Comparing Risk Regulation in the United States and Europe (RFF/Routledge, 2011, with Michael Rogers, Jim Hammitt, and Peter Sand); Reconstructing Climate Policy (AEI Press 2003, with Richard Stewart); and Risk vs. Risk (Harvard Univ. Press 1995, with John Graham). He was a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), 5th Assessment Report (2014), Working Group III, co-author of chapter 13 on “International Cooperation: Agreements and Institutions.” Before coming to Duke, he served in the US Government, at the Department of Justice (DOJ), the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy (OSTP), and the White House Council of Economic Advisers (CEA). In these roles, he helped negotiate the Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC), helped draft the first IPCC report (1990), attended the Rio Earth Summit (1992), helped draft Executive Order 12866 (1993), and helped launch the Americorps National Service program (1993). He was a law clerk for then-Judge Stephen G. Breyer, on the US Court of Appeals in Boston, and for Judge Jack B. Weinstein, on the US District Court in New York. He received his undergraduate and law degrees from Harvard University.

Philip Stern is Professor of History at Duke University, where he writes and teaches on various aspects of the intellectual, political, business, and legal histories of European colonialism. He is the author or co-editor of four books and nearly three dozen essays and articles, including The Company-State: Corporate Sovereignty and the Early Modern Foundations of the British Empire in India (Oxford, 2011), which was awarded the Morris D. Forkosch Prize from the American Historical Association and the Trevor Reese Memorial Prize from the Institute of Commonwealth Studies. Stern’s latest book, Empire, Incorporated: The Corporations that Built British Colonialism, selected for the Stansky Prize in modern British History by the North American Conference on British Studies, was published by Belknap Press in 2023, and will appear in paperback in 2025. His current research, among other projects, examines the connections between the history of territorial empire and extraterritorial expansion in space, including his role as co-lead of the Duke Bass Connections team “Future Space Settlements: Lessons from History,” 2024-2025.

Sana Sharma (she/her) is Aurelia Institute’s Chief Design Officer. With expertise in architecture, product design & development, and digital strategy, Sana aims to highlight the human element in science and technology across disciplines throughout her work. At Aurelia Institute, Sana leads brand, design strategy, and architecture for the organization. She serves as lead for Aurelia’s first foray into human-scale space architecture through the development of the TESSERAE space habitat mockup — a life-size, modular architectural pavilion that engages designers, engineers, and the general public with what life in space may look like in the future. Sana has previously held design innovation roles across a diversity of scientific domains at IBM Quantum, Watson Health, and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. She has also taught design to engineering students at the Yale Center for Engineering Innovation & Design. Sana is a research affiliate with the Space Exploration Initiative at the MIT Media Lab. There, she leads the Astronaut Ethnography Project, which captures and distills the lived experiences of astronauts and cosmonauts in order to share them broadly with the next generation of designers, engineers, and policy makers for space. Motivated by an abiding love for merging high-tech, sensory, and tactile experiences, she also leads design for Fluid Expressions, a novel art and craft system designed exclusively for use in microgravity. Sana earned her Bachelor of Arts in Architecture at Yale University, and a Master of Design Studies, Technology Concentration from Harvard University Graduate School of Design. While she has worked across multiple disciplines, Sana has held an abiding love for astronomy and space exploration from a young age, having built her first telescope at 8 years old. In her spare time, she enjoys woodworking, trekking, and pottery.

Siobhan Oca's research focusses on medical robotics and robotics education. Specifically, she is interested in developing safe and effective autonomous medical procedures for remote settings. Her doctoral research focused on development of autonomous ultrasound scanning with robotic arm for NASA, implemented in a human study, which also assessed trust and safety. Since starting as faculty, she studies the methods used in teaching robotics to understand their efficacy in student learning and perception of robotics as a future career field. Additionally, she leads the Masters programs in Robotics for MEMS and is passionate about robotics curricula development that prepares students for their future in robotics and impacts on society, including through her Case Studies of Ethics in Robotics and Autonomy course. At Aurelia Institute, Sana leads brand, design strategy, and architecture for the organization. She serves as lead for Aurelia’s first foray into human-scale space architecture through the development of the TESSERAE space habitat mockup — a life-size, modular architectural pavilion that engages designers, engineers, and the general public with what life in space may look like in the future. Sana has previously held design innovation roles across a diversity of scientific domains at IBM Quantum, Watson Health, and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. She has also taught design to engineering students at the Yale Center for Engineering Innovation & Design. Sana is a research affiliate with the Space Exploration Initiative at the MIT Media Lab. There, she leads the Astronaut Ethnography Project, which captures and distills the lived experiences of astronauts and cosmonauts in order to share them broadly with the next generation of designers, engineers, and policy makers for space. Motivated by an abiding love for merging high-tech, sensory, and tactile experiences, she also leads design for Fluid Expressions, a novel art and craft system designed exclusively for use in microgravity. Sana earned her Bachelor of Arts in Architecture at Yale University, and a Master of Design Studies, Technology Concentration from Harvard University Graduate School of Design. While she has worked across multiple disciplines, Sana has held an abiding love for astronomy and space exploration from a young age, having built her first telescope at 8 years old. In her spare time, she enjoys woodworking, trekking, and pottery.

Susan White is the executive director for North Carolina Space Grant, North Carolina Sea Grant, and the Water Resources Research Institute for the UNC System. All three programs provide targeted research, outreach and education projects to address critical issues in the state and within the region. Space Grant is a NASA funded program that promotes, develops and supports space-related STEM education and training in NC. Sea Grant, with funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and WRRI, with funding from the U.S. Geological Survey, focus on coastal, ocean and water resource research and extension programs supporting communities, economies and ecosystems from the mountains to the coast. She previously was director of NOAA’s Hollings Marine Laboratory in Charleston, S.C. Formerly the national research coordinator for NOAA’s Estuarine Reserves Division and National Estuarine Research Reserve System, she has served on national and regional steering committees on topics including technology transfer, integrated drought monitoring and early warning, and climate’s connections to health. White earned a doctorate from the University of Georgia and a bachelor’s degree from Duke University.

Tyler Felgenhauer is a social scientist researching the climate-society system and the portfolio of policy options to address climate change risk. He was a member of Duke’s Bass Connection project on “Going to Mars: Science, Society, and Sustainability (2020–21), and has had a lifelong interest in space issues going back to the first space shuttle launches and membership in his junior high school’s Young Astronauts Club. Tyler’s current research is on understanding the risks, benefits, and societal implications of solar radiation modification (SRM) and carbon dioxide removal under different policy-relevant scenarios, and how to make governance design and other decisions based on these insights. This includes specific interests in developing plausible climate intervention policy scenarios, framing the risk-risk tradeoffs of potential SRM deployment, the geopolitical and termination shock risks posed by SRM, and the need for global monitoring of SRM for international governance. Tyler also works with Resources for the Future, the Degrees Initiative, and SRM360 on related SRM research and engagement. Prior to Duke he held research and policy positions and appointments with the U.S. EPA, Harvard’s Solar Geoengineering Research Program, the NC Institute for Climate Studies, IronOak Energy, RTI International, IIASA, and Princeton University.

Ambassador W. Robert Pearson (ret.) is a senior fellow with the Duke Rethinking Diplomacy Program and its Space Diplomacy Lab. A retired career Foreign Service Officer, Pearson served as U.S. Ambassador to Turkey from 2000 to 2003 and was Director General of the U.S. Foreign Service from 2003 to 2006, repositioning the American Foreign Service to meet the new challenges of the 21st century. He was honored with two national awards for his efforts. He is currently the President of American Diplomacy Publishers and is a frequent speaker on issues concerning the role of diplomacy in American engagement abroad. Ambassador Pearson holds a B.A. from Vanderbilt University and a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law.