Bio
Laura M. Delgado López is a Senior Fellow at the Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy.
In this role, she provides subject matter expertise in space activities and governance, with a focus on Latin America, to lead several Institute efforts related to space in support of USSOUTHCOM priorities. This includes authoring original research for publication, providing thought leadership via presentations and lectures, and contributing to engagements involving partner nations.
Ms. Delgado López is currently also a lecturer at ETH Zürich and a Non-resident Space Policy Fellow at the William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies. She draws on over 15 years working in space policy in the Washington, DC area, in a career spanning industry, the nonprofit sector, and government.
She most recently served as a policy advisor in the policy branch of NASA's Science Mission Directorate, which provides policy support to the agency's science leadership. In September 2024, she completed a visiting fellowship at the Americas Program of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), focusing on the politics and policy of space programs in Latin America. Her tenure at CSIS was funded by a 2023-2024 International Affairs Fellowship from the Council on Foreign Relations. She is also a former editor-in-chief of Elsevier's Space Policy journal and served two terms as an advisor to Secure World Foundation.
Her research on space policy and international cooperation, with a particular focus on Latin America, has appeared in trade and peer-reviewed publications, as well as in media outlets in English and Spanish. She holds a master's degree in international science and technology policy with a focus on space policy from George Washington University and a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Puerto Rico.