Dr. Minoo Rathnasabapathy is a Research Engineer at the MIT Media Lab, and Project Fellow, Future of Space at the World Economic Forum. Her work is centred at the intersection of space technology, policy, and action-driven partnerships to tackle pressing socio-economic and environmental challenges. Dr. Rathnasabapathy’s focus and research interests include space sustainability and governance, climate, and broader cross-industry collaborations. Her work has featured on CNN Business, BBC World News, and ABC News Australia. Prior to joining MIT, Dr. Rathnasabapathy served as the Executive Director of the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC), a global non-governmental organisation which acts in support of the United Nations Programme on Space Applications, based in Vienna, Austria. Dr. Rathnasabapathy was responsible for leading the operations, business development, strategy, and policy output for SGAC, a network that represents over 15,000 individual members across 150 countries.
Dr. Rathnasabapathy earned her PhD in Aerospace Engineering from RMIT University, researching the impact dynamics of novel materials used in aerospace structures. Minoo serves as a member of the World Economic Forum Global Future Council on Space. From 2018-2021, she served as Vice President of the International Astronautical Federation.