Madhulika Guhathakurta

Madhulika (Lika) Guhathakurta is an American Astrophysicist and scientist with NASA's Heliophysics Science Division. She is the lead program scientist for NASA's Living With a Star initiative and serves as program scientist on the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), Van Allen Probes, and Solar TErrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) missions. She will also be the program scientist for two upcoming missions: Solar Probe Plus and Solar Orbiter. Lika was previously the program scientist on SPARTAN-201 (Shuttle Point Autonomous Research Tool for Astronomy-201), a free-flying science instrument platform designed to study velocity and acceleration of the solar wind and observe the sun's corona. These missions were conducted as part of the larger STS-56, STS-69, STS-77, STS-87, and STS-95 mission objectives. She has worked as an educator, scientist, mission designer, directed and managed science programs, and has built instruments for spacecraft. Dr. Guhathakurta is known for her work in heliophysics where she has authored over 70 publications on the subject.