The mission of the Exoplanet Exploration Program is threefold – to search for planets beyond our solar system, characterize them, and look for life among the stars. The scientists and engineers who work at NASA's exoplanet program work daily to make those goals a reality.

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  Dawn Gelino

  Program Manager
  Dr. Dawn Gelino is the program manager for the NASA Exoplanet Exploration Program at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in physics and astronomy from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and her Master of Science and doctorate in astronomy and astrophysics from New Mexico State University. She joined Caltech/IPAC in 2004 after a prize postdoctoral fellowship at UC San Diego and was promoted to deputy director of the NASA Exoplanet Science Institute (NExScI) in 2017. Some of her accomplishments at... more

  Program Manager
  Dr. Dawn Gelino is the program manager for the NASA Exoplanet Exploration Program at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in physics and astronomy from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and her Master of Science and doctorate in astronomy and astrophysics from New Mexico State University. She joined Caltech/IPAC in 2004 after a prize postdoctoral fellowship at UC San Diego and was promoted to deputy director of the NASA Exoplanet Science Institute (NExScI) in 2017. Some of her accomplishments at Caltech include leading the NASA Keck time-allocation process, leading the popular NExScI Sagan Summer Workshops, co-leading the NASA Hubble Fellowship Program (NHFP) and NASA’s Nexus for Exoplanetary System Science (NExSS) research coordination network, and serving as the American Astronomical Society (AAS) Vice President from 2023 to 2026. Dr. Gelino now serves as the program manager for the Exoplanet Exploration Program, managed by JPL for the Astrophysics Division of the NASA Science Mission Directorate. She is responsible for managing NASA’s program to search for habitable worlds and for evidence of life beyond the solar system. The Exoplanet Exploration Program (ExEP) is comprised of science, research and technology initiatives, mission studies, public engagement, and the NASA Exoplanet Science Institute. Dr. Gelino was awarded the Exceptional Public Service Medal from NASA in 2017, and named as an American Astronomical Society (AAS) Legacy Fellow in 2020. less
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  David Ardila

  Deputy Program Manager
  David Ardila is the deputy program manager for the NASA Exoplanet Exploration Program and an expert in star and planet formation, with over 200 publications in this and other areas. He is an expert in spectrometer design, high-contrast imaging, and general instrument architecture. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in physics from the University of Los Andes, Bogota, Colombia, a Master of Science in physics from Purdue University, a Master of Science in Astronautical Engineering from the University of Southern California, and a doctorate in astrophysics from the University of... more

  Deputy Program Manager
  David Ardila is the deputy program manager for the NASA Exoplanet Exploration Program and an expert in star and planet formation, with over 200 publications in this and other areas. He is an expert in spectrometer design, high-contrast imaging, and general instrument architecture. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in physics from the University of Los Andes, Bogota, Colombia, a Master of Science in physics from Purdue University, a Master of Science in Astronautical Engineering from the University of Southern California, and a doctorate in astrophysics from the University of California, Berkeley. Ardila was mission manager for NASA’s K2 mission, NASA-ESA (European Space Agency) liaison for the Herschel Space Telescope, and will continue in his role as NN-EXPLORE project manager as he transitions into his new role as deputy program manager for the Exoplanet Exploration Program. less

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  Karl Stapelfeldt

  Program Chief Scientist
  Dr. Karl Stapelfeldt is the Chief Scientist for NASA’s Exoplanet Exploration Program at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. His research is focused on circumstellar disks, planet formation, exoplanets, and the design of future missions and instruments that could achieve major scientific advances in these areas. Dr. Stapelfeldt began his NASA career as a post-doctoral research fellow at JPL in 1993. As a JPL scientist from 1994 to 2011, he worked on the Hubble Space Telescope WFPC2 instrument, Spitzer Space Telescope Science Teams, and the Terrestrial Planet... more

  Program Chief Scientist
  Dr. Karl Stapelfeldt is the Chief Scientist for NASA’s Exoplanet Exploration Program at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. His research is focused on circumstellar disks, planet formation, exoplanets, and the design of future missions and instruments that could achieve major scientific advances in these areas. Dr. Stapelfeldt began his NASA career as a post-doctoral research fellow at JPL in 1993. As a JPL scientist from 1994 to 2011, he worked on the Hubble Space Telescope WFPC2 instrument, Spitzer Space Telescope Science Teams, and the Terrestrial Planet Finder Coronagraph Mission Study. He left JPL in 2011 to become the Chief of the Exoplanets and Stellar Astrophysics Laboratory at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, before returning to JPL in 2016. He received his Ph.D. in astrophysics, with a graduate minor in planetary science, from Caltech in 1991, and a B.S.E. in mechanical and aerospace engineering and engineering physics from Princeton University in 1984. less
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  Eric Mamajek

  Deputy Program Chief Scientist
  Dr. Eric E. Mamajek earned his B.S. in astronomy and astrophysics at Penn State, an M.Sc. in physics from the University of New South Wales/ADFA, and his M.S. and Ph.D. in astronomy from the University of Arizona. He was previously a Clay Postdoctoral Fellow at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Associate Astronomer for the National Optical Astronomy Observatory at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile, and Professor of Physics & Astronomy at University of Rochester, where he worked with students on observational astronomy... more

  Deputy Program Chief Scientist
  Dr. Eric E. Mamajek earned his B.S. in astronomy and astrophysics at Penn State, an M.Sc. in physics from the University of New South Wales/ADFA, and his M.S. and Ph.D. in astronomy from the University of Arizona. He was previously a Clay Postdoctoral Fellow at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Associate Astronomer for the National Optical Astronomy Observatory at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile, and Professor of Physics & Astronomy at University of Rochester, where he worked with students on observational astronomy research related to the formation and evolution of exoplanetary systems and their host stars. Since starting at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, in 2016, he has served as the Deputy Program Chief Scientist for the NASA Exoplanet Exploration Program, managed by JPL for the Astrophysics Division of the NASA Science Mission Directorate. less
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  Nick Siegler

  Program Chief Technologist, Technology Development Manager
  Dr. Nick Siegler is an astrophysicist and the Chief Technologist for NASA's Exoplanet Exploration Program located at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. With collaborators from all over the country he helps identify and mature technologies needed to enable possible future NASA missions that will ultimately look for evidence of life on exoplanets. He has worked in a variety of systems engineering and project management roles for the last nine years. Prior to JPL, Dr. Siegler held astronomy... more

  Program Chief Technologist, Technology Development Manager
  Dr. Nick Siegler is an astrophysicist and the Chief Technologist for NASA's Exoplanet Exploration Program located at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. With collaborators from all over the country he helps identify and mature technologies needed to enable possible future NASA missions that will ultimately look for evidence of life on exoplanets. He has worked in a variety of systems engineering and project management roles for the last nine years. Prior to JPL, Dr. Siegler held astronomy research positions at the University of Arizona as well as various operations management positions with subsidiaries of Unilever at various domestic and international locations. Dr. Siegler received his Ph.D. and Masters in astronomy from the University of Arizona, a master's in international business from the Rotterdam School of Management in the Netherlands, and a bachelor's in chemical engineering from the Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey. less
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  Rashied Amini

  Program Chief Engineer
  Rashied Amini is the chief engineer for ExEP, the NASA Exoplanet Exploration Program. He is responsible for engineering and technical oversight and support for all ExEP activities. He leads and organizes mission concept studies to expand the frontier of exoplanet science. Dr. Amini has been at NASA JPL since 2008 with a focus on space mission formulation and technology development. He led or contributed to architecting and engineering for the Habitable Exoplanet Observatory and the Habitable Worlds Observatory, PRIMA... more

  Program Chief Engineer
  Rashied Amini is the chief engineer for ExEP, the NASA Exoplanet Exploration Program. He is responsible for engineering and technical oversight and support for all ExEP activities. He leads and organizes mission concept studies to expand the frontier of exoplanet science. Dr. Amini has been at NASA JPL since 2008 with a focus on space mission formulation and technology development. He led or contributed to architecting and engineering for the Habitable Exoplanet Observatory and the Habitable Worlds Observatory, PRIMA (the PRobe far-Infrared Mission for Astrophysics), ASTERIA (the Arcsecond Space Telescope Enabling Research in Astrophysics) technology demonstration extended mission, and others. He also supported the work of the NASA Radioisotope Power Systems and Disasters programs. Dr. Amini received a Ph.D. and B.S. degrees in physics from Washington University in St. Louis. less

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  Anjali Tripathi

  Science Ambassador
  Dr. Anjali Tripathi is an astrophysicist and the Science Ambassador for NASA’s Exoplanet Exploration Program. As the program’s lead science communicator, she works to make science understandable for all. Her research has explored how exoplanets form and lose their atmospheres. Connecting science to society, she previously led science policy at the White House. She earned her Ph.D. and Master of Arts in astrophysics from Harvard, Master of Philosophy in astronomy from the University of Cambridge as a Marshall Scholar, and Bachelor of Science degree in physics from MIT.

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  Travis Schirner

  Exoplanet Communications Manager
  Travis Schirner is the Universe Public Engagement Manager. In this role, he oversees JPL public engagement initiatives on Exoplanet Exploration, Astrophysics, and NASA's Universe of Learning. Prior to his current role, he was a public affairs officer in the United States Air Force, where he enjoyed stints as an assistant professor of Aerospace Studies at Loyola Marymount University and as a project officer at the Department of the Air Force Entertainment Liaison Office. In the latter, he had the pleasure of supporting blockbuster film and tv projects such as "First Man," "The Tomorrow... more

  Exoplanet Communications Manager
  Travis Schirner is the Universe Public Engagement Manager. In this role, he oversees JPL public engagement initiatives on Exoplanet Exploration, Astrophysics, and NASA's Universe of Learning. Prior to his current role, he was a public affairs officer in the United States Air Force, where he enjoyed stints as an assistant professor of Aerospace Studies at Loyola Marymount University and as a project officer at the Department of the Air Force Entertainment Liaison Office. In the latter, he had the pleasure of supporting blockbuster film and tv projects such as "First Man," "The Tomorrow War," and "Captain Marvel," among many others. He holds a B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), an M.B.A. from the Quantic School, and the rank of captain in the U.S. Air Force Reserve. less
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  Charles Beichman

  NExScI Executive Director
  Dr. Beichman has been a leader in infrared astronomy and exoplanet research for over 30 years. His primary scientific interests include the formation of solar type stars and debris disks around both young and mature stars (IRAS, Spitzer, Keck Interferometer, JWST), the detection and characterization of planets around young and mature stars (Palomar, SIM, Spitzer, JWST), and the study of brown dwarfs (2MASS, Keck, WISE, Spitzer, HST, JWST). He has been a member of science teams on a variety of sky survey projects (with major responsibilities for IRAS, 2MASS... more

  NExScI Executive Director
  Dr. Beichman has been a leader in infrared astronomy and exoplanet research for over 30 years. His primary scientific interests include the formation of solar type stars and debris disks around both young and mature stars (IRAS, Spitzer, Keck Interferometer, JWST), the detection and characterization of planets around young and mature stars (Palomar, SIM, Spitzer, JWST), and the study of brown dwarfs (2MASS, Keck, WISE, Spitzer, HST, JWST). He has been a member of science teams on a variety of sky survey projects (with major responsibilities for IRAS, 2MASS and minor roles in ISO and Planck) and space instruments (IRAS, Spitzer/MIPS and JWST/NIRCAM). He currently leads the exoplanet program for the JWST NIRCam team. He is author or co-author on 246 refereed articles and first author on 42. less

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  David Ardila

  NN-Explore Project Manager Additional Duty
  Dr. David Ardila is an expert in star and planet formation, with over 200 publications on this and other areas. He is an expert in spectrometer design, high contrast imaging, and general instrument architecture, both for Astrophysics and Earth Science missions. He has worked in the formulation of new missions for NASA, in roles including instrument scientist, capture lead, and system engineer. He was mission manager for NASA’s K2 mission, NASA-ESA liaison for the Herschel Space Telescope, and Calibration lead for Spitzer’s Infrared Spectrograph, among other positions. In addition to... more

  NN-Explore Project Manager Additional Duty
  Dr. David Ardila is an expert in star and planet formation, with over 200 publications on this and other areas. He is an expert in spectrometer design, high contrast imaging, and general instrument architecture, both for Astrophysics and Earth Science missions. He has worked in the formulation of new missions for NASA, in roles including instrument scientist, capture lead, and system engineer. He was mission manager for NASA’s K2 mission, NASA-ESA liaison for the Herschel Space Telescope, and Calibration lead for Spitzer’s Infrared Spectrograph, among other positions. In addition to his role as NN-Explore Project Manager, he serves as Project Scientist for the Star-Planet Activity Research Cubesat (SPARCS). Dr. Ardila earned his B.Sci in Physics from the University of Los Andes, in Bogota, Colombia, a M.S. in Astronautical Engineering from the University of Southern California, and a Ph.D. in Astrophysics from U.C. Berkeley (Go Bears!). less
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  Brendan Crill

  Deputy Program Chief Technologist, Deputy Technology Manager
  Dr. Brendan P. Crill has worked at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory since 2008 and joined the Exoplanet Exploration Program in 2016 as the Program’s Deputy Technology Development Manager. His science career began in cosmology, with an undergraduate degree from Brown University and a Ph.D. in physics from Caltech. He worked on developing instrumentation for measurements of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB). His work on the receiver of the BOOMERANG balloon-borne... more

  Deputy Program Chief Technologist, Deputy Technology Manager
  Dr. Brendan P. Crill has worked at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory since 2008 and joined the Exoplanet Exploration Program in 2016 as the Program’s Deputy Technology Development Manager. His science career began in cosmology, with an undergraduate degree from Brown University and a Ph.D. in physics from Caltech. He worked on developing instrumentation for measurements of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB). His work on the receiver of the BOOMERANG balloon-borne telescope, including bolometric detectors (one of which is on display in the Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.) and the cryogenic system needed to keep them at 0.3 Kelvin, contributed to the understanding that we live in a spatially flat universe. He then worked on testing and selecting NASA’s bolometers delivered to the European Space Agency’s High Frequency Instrument (HFI) on Planck. He continued to work as the US HFI instrumental data analysis lead on the Planck. Exploiting the science data from BOOMERANG, Planck, SPIDER and the BICEP2/Keck ground-based CMB measurement led to work in the field of high-performance computing, and he participated on the SPHEREx Phase A as the science data pipeline lead. less
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  Mary Romejko

  Program Business Manager
  Mary Romejko has been an employee of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory since 1983. She has held positions with increasing levels of responsibility in Financial Controls and is currently the Program Business Manager Exoplanet Exploration Program Office. Ms. Romejko receives programmatic direction from the Exoplanet Exploration Program Office. In this capacity she is the primary business interface with other business organizations, both internally and externally. She leads the implementation and performance of all cost and schedule control... more

  Program Business Manager
  Mary Romejko has been an employee of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory since 1983. She has held positions with increasing levels of responsibility in Financial Controls and is currently the Program Business Manager Exoplanet Exploration Program Office. Ms. Romejko receives programmatic direction from the Exoplanet Exploration Program Office. In this capacity she is the primary business interface with other business organizations, both internally and externally. She leads the implementation and performance of all cost and schedule control activities for JPL projects and tasks within the program. She is also responsible for managing all activities related to cost estimating, funding, task order management, subcontract management, IA management, accounting, and financial planning for all tasks within the program. Ms. Romejko received her MSLM in Leadership and Management from the University of La Verne and has excelled in positions that include Project Controls Manager, Project Resource Line Manager, Mars Helicopter Project Business Manager, Resource Analyst, and Business Administration Manager. Ms. Romejko is well versed in the business acumen at JPL and has extensive experience in the execution, implementation, analysis, and reporting of all cost and schedule activities in accordance with institutional business standards and processes. She has led multi-disciplinary teams and was responsible for team results on multifunctional and/or multidisciplinary projects and assignments, including performance standards, budget and schedule. She has been responsible, in each of her management roles, for establishing, promoting, and ensuring the use of best business practices in the implementation of project control functions for all projects and task-type activities within the respective directorates. less
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  Ray Lemus

  Program Business Administration Manager
  Ray Lemus earned a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology and an MBA from the Anderson School of Management at UCLA. He has been an employee at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory since 1996. Early in his career, Mr. Lemus worked as a process engineer in Chevron’s largest refinery in the San Francisco Bay area, responsible for the technical performance of various fuel-oil plants. Subsequent to his MBA, he split his career primarily between contracts and subcontracts. Mr. Lemus’s notable accomplishments were the foreign purchase of the... more

  Program Business Administration Manager
  Ray Lemus earned a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology and an MBA from the Anderson School of Management at UCLA. He has been an employee at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory since 1996. Early in his career, Mr. Lemus worked as a process engineer in Chevron’s largest refinery in the San Francisco Bay area, responsible for the technical performance of various fuel-oil plants. Subsequent to his MBA, he split his career primarily between contracts and subcontracts. Mr. Lemus’s notable accomplishments were the foreign purchase of the two GRACE Spacecraft from Germany. He served as the manager of the Acquisition Planning and Compliance Section where he led a team of 115 subject matter experts, advisors and managers to completely rewrite and simplify JPL’s procurement rules without degradation in contract metrics and quality. Mr. Lemus also served as manager of the Contract Management Office and served as a team lead in the 2013 JPL Prime Contract negotiations with NASA in the renewal of the sponsoring agreement for the operation of the Lab. Mr. Lemus has served the Lab as a subject matter expert in contract, subcontract and task order formation and administration, Organizational Conflicts of Interest, Nondisclosure Agreements, Memoranda of Understanding, Cost Allowability, and JPL/Caltech policies and procedures. Since 2015, he has served as the Exoplanet Exploration Program Business Administration Manager, providing outstanding business solutions and administrative support to the operation of the program office. less

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  Austin Love

  Program Resource Analyst
  Austin Love graduated from Cal Poly Pomona University with a Bachelor of Science degree in international business with an emphasis and minor in finance. Upon graduating, Love began working at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works as an analyst in the Advanced Development Programs division and worked there for three years. He then came to JPL as a program resource analyst in the Interplanetary Network Directorate supporting the Deep Space Operations Center project. He later moved to the Astronomy and Physics Directorate and supported numerous projects such... more

  Program Resource Analyst
  Austin Love graduated from Cal Poly Pomona University with a Bachelor of Science degree in international business with an emphasis and minor in finance. Upon graduating, Love began working at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works as an analyst in the Advanced Development Programs division and worked there for three years. He then came to JPL as a program resource analyst in the Interplanetary Network Directorate supporting the Deep Space Operations Center project. He later moved to the Astronomy and Physics Directorate and supported numerous projects such as the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) project, Cold Atom Laboratory (CAL), Fundamental Physics, the Astronomy and Physics Program Office and JPL’s special program Department of Defense activities. Austin is now supporting the Exoplanet Exploration Program as a program resource analyst. less
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  Katherine Manvelyan

  Lead Project Schedule Analyst
  Katherine Manvelyan is the Lead Project Schedule Analyst for the Exoplanet Program office. She has been an employee at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory since 2019. She started her career as a business analyst and worked as an intern while getting her B.S. in business management at CSLA. She has supported various projects including Sentinel-6, EMIT (Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation), and RIME (Radar for Icy Moon Exploration). She joined the Exoplanet Program office in 2023.

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  Jennifer Gregory

  Business Administrator
  Jennifer Gregory has been employed at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory since 1998 and has provided administrative support to several departments throughout her career. Among these were Interferometry and Large Optics, the Space Interferometry Mission and JPL’s special program DOD activities. In 2015, Ms. Gregory eagerly joined the Exoplanet Exploration Program Office. She enjoys being a part of NASA’s vision and development of technology and missions that enable the search for life in the universe.

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  Christina (Nina) Pretty

  Program Staff Coordinator
  Since 2014, Nina Pretty has provided exceptional support across a broad range of administrative functions, including travel coordination and project assistance. Most recently, she played a key role in the successful launch of SPHEREx, showcasing her ability to thrive in dynamic, high-impact environments. Pretty holds a bachelor’s degree in business management and recently earned her master’s degree in management & leadership from Western Governors University. She brings a strategic, solutions-oriented approach to her work. Outside of her professional pursuits, Pretty enjoys photography, hot yoga, horseback riding, and archery.

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  Pat Brennan

  Science Writer
  Pat Brennan is a science writer for NASA's Exoplanet Exploration Program, and also for the NASA Sea Level Portal. He writes feature stories about exoplanet discoveries and helps develop a variety of public engagement content, from info-graphics to conference banner stands and even provided text for a recent exoplanet travel poster. Mr. Brennan joined JPL in 2015 after a 30-year career as a newspaper journalist. He has a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Arizona.

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  Chelsea Gohd

  Universe Public Engagement Specialist
  Chelsea "Foxanne" Gohd is a Universe Public Engagement Specialist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. With her experience as a science communicator and writer, she works to make science accessible for a public audience through a creative variety of content. Previously, she worked as a senior writer at Space.com where she wrote newsworthy articles and longer features on science topics ranging from Earth science to exoplanet exploration and human spaceflight. In this role she also created and hosted a variety of educational videos. Gohd has also written science... more

  Universe Public Engagement Specialist
  Chelsea "Foxanne" Gohd is a Universe Public Engagement Specialist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. With her experience as a science communicator and writer, she works to make science accessible for a public audience through a creative variety of content. Previously, she worked as a senior writer at Space.com where she wrote newsworthy articles and longer features on science topics ranging from Earth science to exoplanet exploration and human spaceflight. In this role she also created and hosted a variety of educational videos. Gohd has also written science content for the American Museum of Natural History and is an analog astronaut, having completed the analog Mars mission Sensoria M2 at HI-SEAS in 2020. She is also an accomplished musician, recording and performing indie pop/rock music under the name Foxanne. She has a Bachelor of Science degree from Rutgers University. less
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  Sara Haas

  Universe Public Engagement Specialist
  Sara Haas is a Universe public engagement specialist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. She strives to create educational materials and experiences that inspire curiosity and wonder. Previously, she worked as an art director and designer making campaigns for a variety of clients including TikTok, WeTransfer, Beats by Dre, and the LA County Museum of Art. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in design and media arts from UCLA. Her favorite exoplanet is 55 Cancri e.