The Speaker
Dr. Leon Alkalai

Leon Alkalai is a JPL Fellow (2014) and is a Full Member of the International Academy of Astronautics (2005). He is currently the Manager of the JPL Office of Strategic Planning, responsible for developing a long-term vision and strategic plan for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, developing and maintaining domestic and international strategic partnerships and innovating new pathways for the future of the Laboratory.

Leon Alkalai received his PhD in Computer Science from UCLA in 1989 and has been working at JPL ever since. For the first 14 years of his career Leon was a leader in Advanced Avionics Systems, Micro-Systems, Micro/Nano Spacecraft and related technologies. He led JPL’s Center for Integrated Space Microsystems (CISM) which was developing highly integrated “Systems on A Chip” and pioneering new micro and nano satellites. For the past 15 years, Leon has been in the forefront of JPL’s competed mission’s project formulation as a Manager and a Business Capture Lead. Leon was the successful Capture Lead for both the GRAIL mission to the Moon: awarded in 2007 and launched in 2011; and then the InSight mission to Mars: awarded in 2012 and launched in May of 2018. Both competitions were part of NASA’s Discovery Program in Solar System Exploration. In 2012, Leon received the NASA Individual Distinguished Achievement Medal for the successful formulation of the GRAIL mission to map the gravity field of the Moon. Leon also led JPL’s Discovery proposal (2016) to explore and map the surface of Venus using advanced radar technology. In the past 3 years, Leon has also been leading a new pioneering effort at JPL to formulate the next robotic mission to explore the Interstellar Medium (ISM), following the detection of the solar Heliopause by the Voyager-1 robotic spacecraft (2013). Leon also leads JPL’s Medical Engineering Forum (MEF) a pilot project to apply space technology to medical engineering.

Leon Alkalai is also a successful entrepreneur and a consultant to the commercial technology investment and development industry since 2001. He has consulted for numerous start-up and investment institutions in areas of micro-electronics, strategic planning, technology investment, venture funds, angel funds, seed round investment funds and more. In 2014 Leon Alkalai co-founded Verrix LLC a medical engineering star-up company in the area of advanced technologies for hospital medical equipment sterilization assurance. He is also the founder of AstroLabs Entreprises, LLC which performs consulting services to the commercial space industry and is a start-up incubator for new commercial ventures in the commercial space sector.
Dr. Leon Alkalai receives NASA’s Distinguished Individual Achievement Medal (2012), from JPL Director Charles Elachi and NASA Associate Administrator John Grunsfeld.