Cathy Olkin

Cathy Olkin has over 30 years of experience in the space industry. In 1989, they began their career as a Member of Technical Staff at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. In 1996, they moved to Lowell Observatory as a Postdoctoral Researcher, where they studied the rings of Uranus and Saturn. In 2004, they joined Southwest Research Institute as an Institute Scientist, and then held various roles including Staff Scientist, Section Manager, Principal Scientist, Senior Research Scientist, and Research Scientist. In 2015, they began speaking engagements at various places. Most recently, in 2022, they began working as a Scientist at Muon Space.

Cathy Olkin began their educational journey at Cranbrook School Kingswood from 1980 to 1984. Cathy then attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 1984 to 1988, earning an S.B. in Aeronautics and Astronautics. Following this, they attended Stanford University from 1988 to 1989, earning an M.S. in Aerospace Engineering. Lastly, they returned to Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 1991 to 1996, earning a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Planetary Astronomy and Science.