The founder of Space Enabled has spent her career proving that satellite technology can be a powerful instrument for justice on Earth.
Congratulations to Media Arts and Sciences Associate Professor Danielle Wood, who has been granted tenure, effective July 1, 2026. Professor Wood is the founding director of the Space Enabled Research Group at the MIT Media Lab and holds a joint appointment in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics. She also serves as MIT's Faculty Lead for African and African Diaspora Studies.
Professor Wood traces the origins of Space Enabled to an encounter during her undergraduate years at MIT with NASA scientist Daniel Irwin, whose SERVIR project used satellite data to support development decisions in Latin America. That introduction sparked a 15-year journey of inquiry that led her to a defining question: how can space systems be designed to make a meaningful difference on Earth, especially for those most often left out of technology? Space Enabled is her answer — a research group using space technology to advance justice and sustainability on Earth. Central to this work is the EVDT framework — Environment-Vulnerability-Decision-Technology — a systems approach developed by Professor Wood and the Space Enabled group that has been applied successfully in countries including Ghana, Angola, and Brazil.
"Danielle brings together satellite systems, engineering, policy, and questions of justice in ways that are novel," notes Joe Paradiso, Academic Head of the MAS Program. "Her influence extends from the classroom to the United Nations, and her promotion to tenured Associate Professor reflects both the originality and the sustained impact of her contributions to the field."
Professor Wood's impact extends well beyond the lab. She received the 2026 Paul Gray Faculty Award for Public Service and the 2025 Letten Prize for her work applying space technology to create meaningful change on Earth. She has served multiple times as a Private Sector Advisor to the U.S. Delegation to the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, and has presented at COP28, the International Astronautical Congress, and the American Geophysical Union's annual meeting.
"We are truly delighted to welcome Danielle Wood as a tenured member of our faculty," notes Tod Machover, Faculty Director of the MIT Media Lab. "Her research strongly demonstrates how space technology can be a powerful instrument for justice and sustainability on Earth, and her use of art and design to communicate her messages adds significantly to their power and impact. Danielle’s commitment to ensuring that the benefits of space reach those most often left out of technology perfectly embodies the spirit of the Media Lab, and her exceptional leadership skills will continue to resonate in our community and far beyond.”
Prior to joining MIT, Professor Wood held positions at NASA Headquarters, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, and the Aerospace Corporation. She earned her PhD in technology management and policy, SM in aeronautics and astronautics, SM in technology and policy, and SB in aerospace engineering, all from MIT. She is a full member of the International Academy of Astronautics, a 2024-2026 JustTech Fellow of the Social Science Research Council, a Bloomberg New Economy Catalyst, an inductee of the Black Women's Executive Leadership Fellowship, and a recipient of the National Science Foundation CAREER Award.