Elsayed Talaat Appointed President & CEO of Universities Space Research Association

WASHINGTON, Jan. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Universities Space Research Association (USRA) announced today that Dr. Elsayed Talaat will join USRA as President and CEO, effective January 27. Dr. Talaat is an accomplished leader with a strong background in Atmospheric and Space Science and well-rounded experience with NOAA, NASA, and JHU/APL. Dr. Talaat has been responsible for programmatic and technical coordination with OSTP, the Department of Defense, other federal agencies, non-Federal agendas/industries, and international partners. Dr. Talaat was selected following an extensive national search undertaken by the USRA Board of Trustees, assisted by the executive search firm of Korn Ferry. 

Currently, Dr. Elsayed Talaat is the Director of the Office of Space Weather Observations at NESDIS, where he provides leadership and oversight in the development, acquisition, integration, installation, and acceptance of major system elements (spacecraft, instruments, launch services, and ground systems) for NOAA's operational environmental satellite systems.

Before joining NOAA, Dr. Talaat was the Chief Scientist of the Heliophysics Division at NASA Headquarters. In this role, he directed overall development efforts for the Heliophysics space science program in Solar, Heliospheric, Magnetospheric, and Ionospheric, Thermospheric, and Mesospheric physics. Previously, he was a Program Scientist at NASA Headquarters where he served as Program Scientist for the Living with a Star mission and science line, grant research lines, and Heliophysics and Planetary missions.

Prior to joining NASA, he was Supervisor of the Earth and Planetary Atmospheres Section at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), where his research focused on developing remote sensing techniques and data analysis and modeling of geophysical and planetary phenomena.

 "We are excited to welcome Dr. Talaat as the next CEO of USRA. We firmly believe he is the ideal leader to guide the organization into its next phase of growth and success," said Gen Lester Lyles, Chair of the Board of Trustees. "Dr. Talaat brings extensive leadership experience and a strong track record of success from his time at NOAA, NASA, and APL, which will enhance USRA's credibility and collaboration with these key agencies and with our University Association. He has demonstrated an exceptional ability to build coalitions with both existing and prospective partners, always with a focus on addressing future customer needs. Additionally, his forward-thinking vision for leveraging USRA's unique University Association value proposition positions the organization for continued success. We are excited to see how Dr. Talaat will build upon Dr. Isaacson's remarkable legacy and drive USRA towards an even brighter future."

Dr. Talaat received his Bachelor of Science in Aeronautics and Astronautics Engineering from the University of Washington, and a Master of Science and Doctorate from the University of Michigan in Atmospheric and Space Sciences. He has authored or collaborated on over 60 journal papers and over 250 conference papers.

About USRA

Founded in 1969, under the auspices of the National Academy of Sciences at the request of the U.S. Government, the Universities Space Research Association (USRA) is a nonprofit corporation chartered to advance space-related science, technology, and engineering. USRA operates scientific institutes and facilities and conducts other major research and educational programs. It is an association with 121 university members. It engages the broader university community, employs in-house scientific talent, and offers innovative research, development, and project management expertise. More information about USRA is available at www.usra.edu.

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SOURCE Universities Space Research Association