Dr. Gioia Rau is an astrophysicist and space science leader with senior roles across government, academia, and philanthropy. She currently serves at Schmidt Sciences and NSF, where she directs multimillion-dollar investments in astrophysics, AI, space, and scientific infrastructures. A professor at CUA and leading multiple NASA mission concepts, Dr. Rau has authored over 100 publications. Internationally recognized for shaping the scientific and institutional architecture of future space cooperation, she connects frontier research with long-term strategic vision.