Each institute or program of USRA is overseen by an independent Science Council that serves, in effect, as a scientific board of directors. Science Councils provides guidance in the discipline areas for which they are responsible. Members are scientists appointed to three-year terms by the Board of Trustees on the basis of their expertise and their standing within the academic community. Science Councils serve as touchstones for the scientific merit of our programs and projects, determining whether they are conducted with appropriate academic rigor, contribute to their respective bodies of knowledge and serve their scientific communities, and meet the needs of our government and other customers. Science Councils meet once or twice each year.

USRA Science Councils oversee a variety of individual programs within our areas of technical competency.

Astronomy and Space Physics

• Chair: Dr. Jonathan Ormes, University of Denver

Space Nuclear Power and Propulsion

• Chair: Dr. Gary Bennett, NASA-retired

Lunar and Planetary Science

• Chair: Dr. Lisa R. Gaddis, US Geological Survey

Space Exploration Research and Technology

• Chair: Dr. Basil Antar, University of Tennessee

Computer Science and Information Technology

• Chair: Dr. Daniel Cooke, Texas Tech University 

Science and Engineering Education

• Chair: Dr. John Kelly, North Carolina A&T University 

Space Life Science

• Chair: Dr. Gerald Sonnenfeld, Binghamton University

Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy

• Chair: Dr. Andrew Harris, University of Maryland

Earth Systems Science

• Chair: Dr. William L. Smith, Hampton University