Dava Newman assumed the role of deputy administrator at NASA Monday after receiving Senate confirmation in April.
Newman was sworn Friday into the position, which has been vacant since September 2013 following Lori Garverâs departure, NASA said Tuesday.
âIâm very excited to be at NASA,â said Newman. âIâm looking forward to being a part of the agencyâs work to expand humanityâs reach into space, advance our journey to Mars and strengthen Americaâs leadership here at home.â
As NASA deputy administrator, Newman will assist the agency administrator in making policy decisions and represent the space agency to the U.S. presidentâs executive office, Congress and other federal agencies and foreign organizations, NASA reports.
She previously served as a professor of astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology before joining NASA.
Newman is noted for her work regarding spacesuit design, astronaut motion control, mission analysis and assistive devices designed to improve human locomotion.
She holds a bachelorâs degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Notre Dame and a doctorate degree in aerospace biomedical engineering from MIT.