Mariam Naseem is a Polar & Planetary Science Researcher and Ph.D. student at the University of Maryland, College Park where she investigates geological processes on icy ocean worlds through terrestrial analogs. Prior to commencing her Ph.D., Mariam worked with the Industry Relations team at the Canadian Space Agency to support Canadian space companies with business development engagements. Mariam has also served as a Research Fellow at the Open Lunar Foundation contributing to an open communication architecture for the Moon, and as a policy researcher at Arizona State University’s Space Governance Lab, analyzing technologies and policies with a focus on emerging space nations.

Mariam brings a global and multi-disciplinary background to the space sector, with an MBA from the University of Toronto and a BSc in Electrical Engineering from UT Austin. She has worked as a technology strategist in the Enterprise Innovation team at one of the largest banks in Canada, as a field engineer on an oil rig in Russia, a manufacturing engineer in a product development center in Texas and as a business development manager for a Toronto-based quantum computing startup.

Outside work, Mariam volunteers as lead coordinator for the International Astronautical Federation’s Next Generation Plenary Steering Committee, as a SEDS-Canada Advisory Board member and on the Space Generation Advisory Council’s Mentoring & Gender Equality and Diversity Committees. She is also an alumna of the International Space University’s Space Studies Program.