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Dr. Kamlesh (Kam) Lulla – Ph.D.; NASA Medalist; Distinguished NASA Senior Scientist and Director Research Collaborations and Partnerships

KAMLESH (KAM) P. LULLA is the Director for University Research Collaboration and Partnership Office at Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX. Dr. Lulla “brings the best minds from universities to work with engineers and scientists at NASA Johnson Space Center” to advance technology development and foster innovation for human exploration of space.

Dr Lulla’s distinguished career at NASA spans 31 years where he has served as the Chief Scientist for Earth Observation for Space Shuttle and International Space Station programs, directed the training of NASA Astronauts in Earth Observation Sciences and other payloads. Dr Lulla’s scientific research involved optical and radar remote sensing and advanced sensor development. Dr Lulla also served as Branch chief for Flight Science branch and Earth Science Division for ten years.

Dr. Lulla holds two Ph.D. degrees with expertise in Earth and Space sciences in operational and research activities at NASA. He served in academia as a tenured university professor of Space Remote Sensing and Earth sciences for over twelve years before joining NASA.

Dr. Lulla is a widely published author. He has coauthored or edited seven books and authored a large number of research and technical papers in prestigious journals. Recently, Dr Lulla has coauthored and co-edited a major book entitled “Wings in Orbit: Scientific and Engineering legacies of the Space Shuttle” that provides an authoritative account of scientific research accomplished during the Space Shuttle era. He is also the Chief Editor of a major international journal in Geospatial technology and Remote Sensing. He served as a Guest Editor of American Journal of Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing.

Dr. Lulla has received numerous awards from NASA, the U.S. Government and various universities, cultural organizations and associations.  Dr. Lulla has received several awards from professional societies such as the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), American Society of Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) and Association of American Geoscientists.

Dr Lulla received three of the highest NASA honors- the NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal in 2005 for his scientific research accomplishments. In May 2012, he received the Asian Pacific American Heritage Association’s award called Ellison Onizuka Award for his scientific and technical excellence at NASA. In 2015, NASA awarded him the NASA Exceptional Service Medal for his contributions to the Human Spaceflight missions.

The President of India (Government of India) honored Dr Lulla with the Presidential Medal (Pravasi Bhartiya Samman Medal) for Non-Resident Indian (NRI) for his lifetime accomplishments in space science and technology in 2015.

Dr. Lulla is an internationally known keynote speaker and frequently speaks to youth groups across the globe.