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Dava Newman

Professor; Apollo Professor of Astronautics
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AI & Us: A Series from Dell Technologies featuring expert voices from MIT

Dell Technologies and MIT explore AI’s evolving business impact—offering insights and advice from top industry thought leaders.
Post Research

“Design a future so beautiful that history itself has to stop to take a breath.” — Dr. Dava Newman inspires 2025 LCAD graduates

Dr. Dava Newman challenged graduates to merge creativity with purpose, science with soul, and design with direction.
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Welcoming MARA to the MIT Media Lab Community

We are pleased to welcome MARA, a leading energy technology company advancing the world's energy systems, as a new Member Organization.
Gallery Research

Prevent Cancer Foundation Visionary Award (April 2025)

Dava Newman receives Prevent Cancer Foundation Visionary Award on behalf of Media Lab's Women's Health Program
Post Research

Dava Newman named Margret & H.A. Rey Curiosity Award Recipient 2025

On April 22, 2025 at the Multicultural Arts Center in Cambridge, MA, Dava Newman was named the Margret & H.A. Rey Curiosity Award recipient
April 25, 2025
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Dava Newman receives Prevent Cancer Foundation Visionary Award on behalf of Media Lab's Women's Health Program

The Carolyn “Bo” Aldigé Visionary Award recognizes the MIT Media Lab's groundbreaking research in advancing women's health.
Article Research

Luna: A moon on Earth

MIT students and faculty designed and fabricated a control room for a unique lunar landing mission — an achievement in design + engineering
Post Research

Media Lab Director Dava Newman and Dell CTO John Roese discuss how advances in AI can help people reimagine and redesign their lives

AI tools have the potential to enhance human capabilities and improve users' ability to make critical decisions.
Post Research

Dava Newman named co-chair of WEF Global Future Council on Space Technologies 2025-2026

Newman joins Masami Onoda from the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency as co-chair of this World Economic Forum Council on Space
Article Research

The Future of Space Flight

Guru Madhavan talks to Media Lab Director Dava Newman and Major General Charles Bold.
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Professor Dava Newman will step down as director of the MIT Media Lab

Dean Hashim Sarkis announced that Professor Dava Newman will step down as director of the MIT Media Lab after four transformative years.
Post Research

The World Economic Forum highlights three technologies revealing the impacts of climate change

These interactive, intuitive explorations of complex data can be used to help leaders make climate decisions.
Article Research

What happens to the bodies of NASA astronauts returning to Earth?

“Just take it slow, take it safe, we have them home! And they’re going to have to readapt to 1 G."
Post Research

To the Moon to Stay: MIT Lunar Mission Launch 2025

With a launch date no earlier than February 26, 2025, three MIT research payloads aboard the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will travel to the moon
Article Research

Dava Newman: Inventing better futures at the MIT Media Lab

Director Dava Newman talks with ILP as part of their Faculty Feature, discussing her work at the MIT Media Lab.
Article Research

New AI tool generates realistic satellite images of future flooding

The method could help communities visualize and prepare for approaching storms.
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Project proposal by Dava Newman and Minoo Rathnasabapathy selected for funding by MIT Energy Initiative’s Future Energy Systems Center

The projects selected are aimed at accelerating decarbonization through system analysis and insights.
Video Videos

Media Lab + Castrol Collaboration: Somewhere like the moon

Before researchers send a project like AstroAnt to the lunar surface, they have to test it somewhere like the moon.
Video Videos

Media Lab + Castrol Collaboration: Test, test, test

Terrestrial tests help to ensure that the AstroAnt's teeny-tiny wheels keep turning when it reaches the moon.
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Castrol collaboration supports research on Lunar Landings

Castrol supports the AstroAnt Payload Program, a robotic swarm designed for tasks on spacecraft, rovers, and landers.
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A parabolic roller coaster into the future of space and lunar exploration

Media Lab SEI’s 2024 microgravity flight features 37 parabolas and projects focused on health in space, walking in zero gravity, and more!
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Pioneering Space Exploration + Data: Women Lead MIT Media Lab's Future Worlds Research

At the MIT Media Lab, visionary women are at the forefront of groundbreaking research in space exploration and sustainable climate solution…
Article Research

Designing for outer space

With NASA planning permanent bases in space and on the moon, MIT students develop prototypes for habitats far from planet Earth.
Post Research

To Lunar Gravity and Back: What reduced gravity flights can teach us about our future in space

The Space Exploration Initiative’s 2022 microgravity flight features lunar-specific payloads in advance of an upcoming moon mission
Post Research

Zero Gravity Flight 2024

Founded in 2016 and now in our eighth year, we set our sights on space. The Space Exploration Initiative has since grown to …
Article Research

Co-creating climate futures with real-time data and spatial storytelling

WORLDING workshop organizers collaborated with research scientist Dr. Rachel Connolly to co-design their first-ever in-person event.
Article Research

The Gist: Signs of life

Director Dava Newman spoke at Notre Dame about space exploration and the need for interdisciplinary research to solve problems on Earth.
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MIT Media Lab 40th Anniversary Campaign: 40 for 40

Imagination and Inspiration for the next 40 years of Human Flourishing!The 40 for 40 campaign celebrates the MIT Media Lab's 40th anniversa…
Article Research

Gridlocked: Inflection Point

On the Gridlocked podcast, Media Lab Director Dava Newman and other experts consider what it will take to secure a clean energy future.
Post Research

Fast Company's 2023 Innovation by Design Awards: Media Lab Honorees

Congratulations to the Media Lab community members and projects honored in Fast Company's 2023 Innovation by Design Awards!
Article Research

Redefining design through textiles

In a recent profile, Ganit Goldstein talks about her work at the intersection of fashion, engineering, and tech, and her experience at MIT.
Article Research

Transatlantic connections make the difference for MIT Portugal

Media Lab Director Dava Newman, who previously led the MIT Portugal program, still serves as a principal investigator for flagship projects.
Article Research

Build your skills with MIT’s women engineers

Explore MIT Open Learning resources, including interviews with Media Lab Director Dava Newman, Professor Cynthia Breazeal, and more.
Article Research

Dava Newman on the Selected podcast

In an interview recorded at VivaTech, Media Lab Director Dava Newman talks about the Media Lab's mission to enhance the human experience.
Article Research

Gridlocked: Spaceship Earth

On the Gridlocked Podcast, Media Lab Director Dava Newman and other guests discuss the climate emergency, collaboration, and adaptation.
Article Research

Gravity of the Situation: Time for the "G-whiz" factor?

Media Lab Director Dava Newman talks to Leonard David about research that may counteract the effects of microgravity on astronauts' bodies.
Post Research

Dava Newman receives honorary doctorate degree from Royal College of Art

Director Newman will participate in a convocation ceremony at the Royal Festival Hall on September 13, 2023.
Article Research

Feet on Earth, head in the stars

These five women at the MIT Media Lab are advancing aerospace science and research, driven by a love of our home planet.
Post Research

Thanks to the Advisory Council

The members of the Media Lab Advisory Council generously shared their knowledge and advice with us over the years.
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Kent Larson to serve as co-director of Norman Foster Institute; Dava Newman joins Academic Council

In this age of climate change, the NFI's programs are addressed to those who wish to improve the quality of life in cities worldwide.
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On-orbit livestream events for two Media Lab research projects | Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2)

Q+A sessions on two research projects with contributors from MIT and the Media Lab will be livestreamed from the ISS on May 26 and May 28.
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Dava Newman receives honorary doctorate degree in engineering from Universidade Minho

On May 19, 2023, Professor Dava Newman received a Doctor Honoris Causa in Engineering from Universidade Minho in Portugal.
May 23, 2023
Post Research

MIT Media Lab research on the Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2) launch

The Axiom Mission 2 launch will carry a variety of research from the MIT Media Lab to the International Space Station (ISS) on May 21, 2023
Article Research

MIT HUMANS project breaks down borders, empowering global voices to reach for the stars

The HUMANS nanowafer, an MIT Space Exploration Initiative student-led project, will travel to the ISS this month, and later to the moon.
Article Research

Using robotics to supercharge health care

Spinoff Vecna Technologies uses a wide range of robotic and digital technologies to help solve a variety of issues in healthcare.
Post Research

Davos 2023: The MIT Media Lab's contributions to shaping a more inclusive and sustainable future

Representatives from the Media Lab participated in discussions on the Earth Data Revolution, Space Economy, Digital Currencies, and more.
Article Research

Space exploration in 2040

On the Back from 2040 podcast, Roni Michael talks to Dava Newman about the ways space exploration can improve life on Earth.
Post Research

A Tribute to Glorianna Davenport

Media Lab director Dava Newman and professors Tod Machover and Joseph Paradiso spoke during a tribute to Glorianna Davenport.
Jan. 3, 2023
Article Research

Cosmic Explorer Dava Newman

As Dava Newman strives to get us to Mars, her personal goal is simple — to reach human potential.
Post Research

Dava Newman and Moriba Jah named to Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee (COMSTAC)

Committee members provide information, advice and recommendations to the FAA and DOT.
Post Research

In Nature Communications, Dava Newman and co-authors present a framework for more robust, reliable, and responsible machine learning systems

Machine Learning Technology Readiness Levels (MLTRL) apply systems engineering principles to the development of machine learning algorithms.
Post Research

The Media Lab @ the MIT Museum

We're thrilled to welcome our friends at the Museum to Kendall Square!
Article Research

Wonder woman of rocket science: Tiera Fletcher ’17

Fletcher co-authored the book Wonder Women of Science, which features the career of MIT Media Lab director Dava Newman.
Article Research

Dava Newman receives honorary doctor of science from Dartmouth College

The aerospace engineer and director of the MIT Media Lab received an honorary degree from Dartmouth during commencement 2022.