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Join astronaut Dr. Shawna Pandya and SETI Institute CEO Bill Diamond for an out-of-this-world open forum at Curtin University.
This stellar duo will share insights, answer your questions, and ignite your curiosity about humanity’s place in the cosmos. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to engage with two pioneers shaping the future of space exploration and discovery.
This event is brought to you by Curtin’s Space Science and Technology Centre, and made possible by the Forrest Research Foundation.
Dr. Shawna Pandya
Dr. Shawna Pandya is the first named female commercial Canadian astronaut, and will be flying to space with the Virgin Galactic Delta class of spacecraft with the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences (IIAS) as early as 2026. She is also an emergency and aeromedical transport physician and aquanaut. Dr. Pandya was on the first crew to test a commercial spacesuit in zero-gravity in 2015.
She earned her aquanaut designation on the 2019 NEPTUNE (Nautical Experiments in Physiology, Technology and Underwater Exploration) mission, and completed a second aquanaut mission, NEP2NE, in May 2023, for a total of 11 days, 10 nights underwater. In 2022, Dr. Pandya was named one of the Explorers’ Club’s “50 Explorers Changing the World.” Her work has been profiled by Nature Careers and the Royal Canadian Mint.
William H Diamond Jr
Bill Diamond is the President and CEO of the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California, a position he has held since 2015. The SETI Institute is a research, education and outreach organization devoted to the study of life in the Universe. The Mission of the Institute is ‘To lead humanity’s quest to understand the nature and prevalence of life and intelligence in the Universe and to share that work with the world. The SETI Institute is home to education and communications professionals and over 100 PhD explorer scientists representing more than 20 separate disciplines in the natural sciences.
The Institute’s research covers the domains of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Planetary Science, Exoplanets, Climate and Biogeoscience, Earth Science, Astrobiology and Radio and Optical SETI. Research activities and methodologies include ground and space-based telescopes, radio astronomy, field expeditions, laboratory research, NASA mission support, technology and instrument development and advanced data analytics.
