Tanya Harrison

Dr. Tanya Harrison has worked as a scientist and mission operations specialist on multiple NASA missions to Mars, including the Opportunity, Curiosity, and Perseverance rovers. Bridging the worlds of Mars and Earth, as well as academia and industry, she has worked as the Director of Science for Impact at Planet Labs and the Director of Research for Arizona State University’s NewSpace Initiative. She is currently a Fellow of the University of British Columbia’s Outer Space Institute and the Aurelia Institute. Committed to fostering the next generation of diverse space professionals, she co-founded the Zed Factor Fellowship, providing paid internships in aerospace for students from historically excluded backgrounds. She holds a PhD in Geology from the University of Western Ontario.