Dava Newman SM ’89, SM ’89, PhD ’92, an MIT professor of aeronautics and space whose pioneering work has improved human performance in space with the goal of interplanetary reach, has been named the new director of the MIT Media Lab, effective July 1, 2021.
“Running the legendary Media Lab is a dream come true for me, and I can’t wait to help write the next chapter of this uniquely creative, impactful, compassionate community,” said Newman. She is currently the Apollo Program Professor of Astronautics in MIT’s Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and a faculty member in the Harvard-MIT Program in Health Sciences and Technology.
Newman brings a bold interdisciplinary perspective to a lab known for its free approach to technological innovation. Her work includes engineering, design and biomedical research to better understand and facilitate human adaptation to low-gravity environments. Her career interests also include educational innovation and access, climate change, performing arts, and science and technology policy.
Newman’s extraordinarily wide range of interests combined with disciplinary expertise and talent for invention fit the Media Lab’s approach of combining different perspectives to build more productive, just and fulfilling societies.
“I truly see the MIT Media Lab as the best place in the world to bring science, engineering, art and design together to creatively deal with the tremendous challenges facing humanity,” says Newman. “The magic of the Media Lab – on which I hope to build – is to provide a trusted, open-minded, empowering space where everyone can bring extraordinary expertise while being stretched outside their comfort zone to jointly envision a brighter, bolder future. set. “
The selection was announced today in a letter to the School of Architecture and Planning community from Dean Hashim Sarkis.
“In a field of outstanding candidates, Professor Newman stood out for her groundbreaking research, wide range of multidisciplinary assignments and exemplary leadership,” wrote Sarkis. “She is a designer, a thinker, a maker, an engineer, an educator, a mentor, an interlocutor, a communicator, a futurist, a humanist and, most importantly, an optimist.”
The Media Lab conducted an extensive global search for a new director, ultimately identifying 60 candidates, 13 of whom were interviewed with the search committee.
“The irony had not escaped us that the global search culminated in the selection of a member of the MIT community,” said Pattie Maes, professor of Media Arts and Sciences and chair of the search committee.
But Dava emerged as an exceptional and exciting candidate whose interest in how science, design and technology can intersect in truly new ways ties in well with the Lab’s core mission, as well as her infectious optimism, playful, knowledgeable attitude and undaunted approach. of big and challenging problems.
“I am particularly enthusiastic about her personal passion for advancing climate research, education and the arts, all areas that the Media Lab wants to strengthen in the coming years,” added Maes, who is also chairman of the five-member executive committee. has led the Media Lab since the resignation of former director Joi Ito 15 months ago.
Newman has served as principal investigator on four space missions and has developed new experiments and techniques for measuring the dynamics of astronaut activity on the Space Shuttle, the Mir Space Station and the International Space Station. She has developed four advanced suit concepts for intravehicular and extravehicular activity in space and has broken new ground in studying the control of astronaut movements.
Among her innovations, Newman is known for developing the BioSuit, a 2007 TIME Best Invention, a flexible spacesuit that has a ‘second skin’ and gives astronauts more flexibility while providing the pressure needed to function properly in a low-gravity environment. Newman’s BioSuit study, originally designed – and still intended – for future exploration of the Moon and Mars, has shown another potential application as a resource for people with long-term medical problems.
In addition to its technical applications, the aesthetically striking BioSuit design has also been showcased at the Venice Biennale, the American Museum of Natural History, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
In addition to her distinctive intellectual interests, Newman brings a significant portfolio of leadership to the director’s position. Nominated by President Obama, she served as NASA Deputy Administrator from 2015 to 2017, the first female engineer in this high-ranking role, and helped develop the Human Journey to Mars plan. Newman also led MIT’s Technology and Policy Program from 2003 to 2015 and was Director of the MIT Portugal Program from 2011 to 2015 and 2017 to present. Newman has long been an advocate for STEM education and for women in science and engineering. He also co-chairs a committee of the National Academies of Biological and Natural Sciences and serves on a number of for-profit and non-profit boards.
Newman received her bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Notre Dame in 1986, a master’s degree in aerospace engineering from MIT in 1989, a master’s degree in technology and policy from MIT in 1989, and a doctorate in aerospace biomedical engineering at MIT in 1992; she was also elected to the MIT Corporation as the alumni that year. After a year on the faculty at the University of Houston, she joined the MIT faculty in 1993 and has been a member of the faculty ever since.
In addition to awards from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), the Explorer’s Club, and a host of other organizations, Newman has received the NASA Distinguished Service Medal and is an AIAA Fellow. In 2000, she was appointed a Margaret MacVicar Faculty Fellow, a 10-year MIT Chair awarded for excellence in undergraduate education and innovation in education. Newman was also head of the house from 2005 to 2015 at Baker House, an undergraduate residence hall.
Of Newman’s time at NASA, she says it was “an incredible honor to serve and lead, with a portfolio of exploration, science, technology and innovation. It was also an extraordinary opportunity to work closely with the White House, Congress, various government agencies and international partners, all of which have provided valuable lessons on how to balance nurturing individual talents and personalities with the development of a collective vision and mission to achieve great things on a national and global scale. Newman also stressed the importance of diversity among innovators: “It is absolutely a top priority for academia, government, industry and the arts to bring about dramatic change at sea. I am thinking about diversity, inclusion, innovation and expression that work together to achieve our goals of dynamic justice and radical reinvention. “
Since its founding in 1985, the Media Lab has promoted an interdisciplinary culture to create technologies and experiences that enable people to understand and transform their lives, communities and environments. It combines a broad research agenda and a master’s degree in media art and science. The lab has 22 research groups, ranging from robotics, smart prosthetics, cognitive enhancement, innovative learning, music, and more. Lab researchers have developed Scratch, a programming language used by approximately 50 million children worldwide, as well as influential technology that exposed racial bias in facial recognition systems, and pioneered research areas such as wearable computers, tactile interfaces and affective computing. Currently, the Media Lab community includes some 400 teachers, researchers, students and staff.
Globally, the Media Lab’s reach has expanded to include more than 100 companies founded by Media Lab’s faculty, alumni and research associates. There are also more than 100 Media Lab graduates who have progressed to faculty positions at top institutions around the world.
“I plan to start with a lot of listening and learning,” says Newman. “I enjoy meeting people where they are and encouraging them to bring all their great ideas to the table. I think the best way to move forward is to work with the entire community – teachers, students and staff – to tap into everyone’s creativity. Can’t wait to get started. There is so much exciting, important work to be done … together. “