Lisa Sievers is the Deputy Division Manager of the Autonomous Systems Division at the Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL). The Division tackles the design, build, and piloting of spacecraft to /on remote destinations which includes the development of algorithms, flight hardware and software able to operate autonomously in the extreme environments of space exploration. Some recent examples include the design and build of the Mars Ingenuity helicopter and the autonomous capabilities needed for landing and operating the Mars2020 Rover on the surface of Mars. Lisa has also served in multiple technical and management leadership roles at JPL including the Dynamics and Control Chief Engineer on the SMAP (Soil Moisture Active Passive) Earth Orbiter Mission, Deputy Manager for the Astronomy & Astrophysics Technology Demonstrations Office, and multiple lead roles on the SIM (Space Interferometry Mission) Project. Prior to her tenure at JPL she was a member of the Professional Staff at Caltech working on the LIGO (Laser Interferometry Gravity Wave Observatory) Project as a technical contributor to the design and build of the instrument that detected the first gravity waves.
Lisa holds a Ph.D. in computer systems engineering and an M.S. in electrical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and a B.S. in physics from Iowa State University. Lisa also completed a post-Doc in the Aeronautics and Astronautics Department at MIT.