Danielle Wood

Wood is the founding director of the Space Enabled Research group, which seeks to advance justice in Earth’s complex systems using designs enabled by space. Prior to serving on the faculty at MIT, Wood held positions at NASA Headquarters, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Aerospace Corp., Johns Hopkins University, and the United Nations Office of Outer Space Affairs.

The mission of the Space Enabled research group is to advance justice in Earth’s complex systems using designs enabled by space. The message is that six types of space technology are supporting societal needs, as defined by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. These six technologies include satellite earth observation, satellite communication, satellite positioning, microgravity research, technology transfer, and the inspiration we derive from space research and education. The Space Enabled research group works to increase the opportunities to apply space technology in support of the Sustainable Development Goals using six methods, including design thinking, art, social science, complex systems, satellite engineering, and data science.