Laura M. Delgado López at Worcester World Affairs Council

Laura Delgado López is a Policy Analyst at the Strategic Integration and Management Division of the NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD). She is part of a team focused on providing policy support to SMD's 90+ missions that span Astrophysics, Earth Science, Heliophysics, Planetary Science, as well as reimbursable projects for other agencies.

Ms. Delgado López also serves as the Editor-in-Chief of Elsevier’s Space Policy journal, the premier peer-reviewed publication for the interdisciplinary study of space policy. In this role she manages the timely coordination of the review and editing process of submitted manuscripts, and works with the Publisher to guide the direction of the journal, identifying relevant policy issues for research and debate.

From July 2016 to November 2018, she was at Harris Corporation’s Space and Intelligence Systems Segment. As an advocacy lead she supported the business activities of the international, and environmental solutions teams. In addition to guiding the development of relationships with key customers, partners, and influencers, she provided the leadership team with analysis and advice of the relevant budgetary, policy, and regulatory developments that could impact current and future business activities.

Before joining Harris, Ms. Delgado López spent five years in the non-profit sector. She was a Project Manager at the Secure World Foundation, where she led the SWF Human and Environmental Security initiative as well as engagement with the Latin American space community. Of note are her recent positions as Earth Observations Associate at the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, and as a correspondent for SpacePolicyOnline.com. Ms. Delgado López’s research has focused on issues related to Earth observations, space politics and policy, international cooperation, and public opinion. Her work has been featured in publications such as Space Policy, Astropolitics, Space News, among others, and has led to media appearance in major Spanish-speaking media outlets, including CNN en Español. She is engaged in various roles in the international space community including serving on the board of directors of the American Astronautical Society, and as a member of the Subcommittee on the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) of the International Astronautical Federation.

She holds a Master of Arts in international science and technology with a focus on space policy from the George Washington University. She was a 2009 Truman Scholar and a 2009-2010 Northrop Grumman Fellow at GWU’s Space Policy Institute. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of Puerto Rico.