Dr Shoshana Weider
Program Scientist - NASA
Master of Science (Earth Sciences), Doctorate of Philosophy (Planetary [lunar] Science)
December 2021
Dr Shoshana Weider’s career at NASA started when a man sitting next to her on a plane said “there are a lot of nerds on this plane” and Shoshana replied, “I think I’m one of those nerds”. Shoshana is now a Program Scientist and science communicator at NASA. She leads and works on planetary research programs involving the moon, lunar orbiters, and even exploring Mercury!
What do you do?
I work as a scientist at NASA Headquarters, in Washington DC, in the Planetary Science Division (PSD), which is part of the Science Mission Directorate. And I actually have a few different roles within the Division:
(1) I work as the Executive Scientist to PSD Director, Dr Lori Glaze. In this role, I am responsible for Dr Glaze’s external engagements and presentations (other than those that are specifically media related). It means I get to stay abreast of most things going on in PSD and I constantly have to tailor information for individual audiences — varying from teachers, to scientists and engineers, to Congressional staff, and many more.
(2) I am also a Program Scientist in PSD’s Research and Analysis (R&A) Group. This means I lead a few different planetary research programs: the Lunar Data Analysis Program, the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter Participating Scientist Program, and the BepiColombo Scientist Program. This role involves managing multi-million-dollar budgets, organizing the peer-review process for proposals to these programs, and working with selected scientists to make sure that their needs are met and that they get to do great science.
(3) I am the NASA Liaison for the relatively new Mercury Exploration Assessment Group (MExAG). MExAG is a community-led group that provides science input and analysis to NASA to help plan and prioritize Mercury-focused research and exploration activities.
Shoshana holding a hardcopy proof of the Mercury: The View after MESSENGER book (Cambridge), and the chapter she co-authored for the first time (2018). Credit: Paul K. Byrne
Why did you choose this career pathway?
Looking back, it’s weird to me to realize that planetary science/astronomy/the solar system have always held a deep fascination and a sense of awe, even when I was a child. After completing my undergraduate/masters in Earth Sciences, I wasn’t sure I wanted to be a planetary scientist, but when the opportunity arose to study lunar science for my PhD, I knew it was the right thing for me. Since then, I’ve been hugely lucky to have worked on some amazing projects — including two active planetary science missions, Chandrayaan-1 and MESSENGER.
As my time as a MESSENGER Postdoctoral Fellow at the Carnegie Institution of Science was winding up, however, it became clear to me that I was not naturally heading for a ‘traditional’ tenure-track/academic career path. Instead, I started to explore the parallel world of science communication, and I worked full-time as a science writer/editor and Communications Manager for several years. A chance encounter (read more below) meant that my current role became an option, and it was clear to me that I would love to work at NASA Headquarters — to be at the forefront (literally) of humanity’s exploration of our solar system. In particular, the role I have now allows me to stay deeply connected with the planetary science community, and to take full advantage of my previous work and expertise — both scientific and from the communication perspective.
Shoshana being interviewed on KCTV5 News about the launch of the Double Asteroid Redirection Test to deflect asteroids.
Shoshana and her colleagues at Kennedy Space Center ahead of the launch of NASA’s Lucy mission (on the launch pad in the distance), October 2021. Credit: Alana Johnson
What are the best parts about your job?
What are the hardest parts?
The best parts of my job are the variety that it brings (I’m never bored!) and the fact that I get to combine my planetary science training and experience with my love of science communication — whether that’s communicating to fellow scientists, students, policy makers, or the general public.
The hardest parts of my job are probably two-fold. First, the variety that I relish is a double-edged sword — it means I’m often having to juggle multiple projects or tasks at any one time. Ideally, I would have more time to devote to each individually, but that is rarely the case. The other hardest part is dealing with budgets and the competitive nature of our field. All our science programs are heavily oversubscribed, and every year there are many great science proposals we just can’t afford to fund. In a perfect world, we’d have unlimited resources and be able to select all the fantastic science proposals we receive.
How did you get to your current role?
Shoshana at the summit of ‘Rainbow Mountain’ in Peru in 2018. If you’ve visited the People of Earth Science home page this might look familiar!
As I mentioned above, my current role came by way of a chance encounter. It was March 2016, and I had just sat down in my seat on a plane from Houston to Washington DC (after attending the annual Lunar and Planetary Science Conference), when the gentleman sitting next to me said hello and “there are a lot of nerds on this plane”. I replied, “I think I’m one of those nerds”. Thus followed a 3-hour long conversation with the then lead of the PSD R&A Group, which was basically a long interview. By the end of that plane trip, he told me to let him know when I needed/wanted a job. So I did, and after working out the complications of bringing a non-US citizen to work at NASA, in October 2018 I ended up in my current role with that gentleman as my boss. The lesson I learnt from that was to always be prepared to talk about your work and your aspirations, even when you’re on a plane next to a stranger after a long week of conferencing and little sleep!
What advice would you give to students in your study area trying to decide on a career path?
I think I’d give two main pieces of advice:
(1) Even if you think you know exactly what your career is going to look like, and especially if you don’t, seek out all the opportunities you can — in terms of breadth as well as depth. The more you learn about the variety of careers available to you, the greater your choices will be. Moreover, don’t be afraid to approach more senior people who you are interested in learning from — they may be busy, but more often than not they are happy to share their experiences to help others grow.
(2) Communication — written, verbal, artistic — is vital to the pursuit of science. Even if you’re a scientist, or engineer, your work is not complete until you have told someone else what you did, what you found out, and why it matters. Practice that communication in whatever ways and in whatever spheres you can — it will absolutely serve you well in every job you ever have.
Side hustle shout out!
I try to do as much outreach as I can. This normally takes the form of school talks (in person/over zoom), which is always fun. I love hearing what questions kids have about space and how they excited they are about exploration. I’m also the author of a kids’ book “Moon Landings” that was published as part of DK Children’s Readers Series in 2019. It is aimed at about 6 to 8 year-olds as they’re starting to read on their own.
At Vandenberg Space Force Base for the launch of NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, November 2021. Shoshana is fourth from the right. Credit: Bill Ingalls/NASA