Dr. Makenzie Lystrup is an aerospace executive, planetary astronomer, and science-policy leader whose career spans scientific research, public service, and major space programs. Most recently, she served as director of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, becoming the first woman to lead the center in 2023. Before joining NASA, she was vice president and general manager of Ball Aerospace’s Civil Space business, where she oversaw programs in space science, operational weather, Earth observation, and advanced technology development, including work supporting the James Webb Space Telescope, the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer, Landsat 9, and the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. 

Earlier in her career, Lystrup served as a Congressional Science & Technology Policy Fellow in the U.S. House of Representative, completed an NSF Astronomy & Astrophysics Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, and worked as an AmeriCorps volunteer focused on STEM education. She earned a bachelor’s degree in physics from Portland State University and a Ph.D. in astrophysics from University College London. Her scientific work has focused on planetary atmospheres and magnetospheres, and she has been recognized as a Fellow of AAAS, AAS, and SPIE for contributions spanning science, policy, and aerospace leadership.