Gioia Rau

Dr. Gioia Rau (name pronounced “Joya”) is an astrophysicist leader with a wealth of experience in strategic leadership, management, and research. In her role as Program Director at NSF in the Division of Astronomical Sciences, Dr. Rau drives forward cutting-edge research in Astrophysics, and at the intersection of Astrophysics and AI.

Dr. Rau has a proven track record of leadership, overseeing large multi-million dollars portfolio, managing people and projects, directing teams of scientists on grants and observing proposals, overseeing the execution of large scientific projects including space mission concepts. Dr. Rau excels in managing large-scale projects and fostering partnerships across sectors. Her pioneering work includes applying AI to advance astrophysical research.

In academia, Dr. Rau serves as Research Assistant Professor at CUA, where she supervises PhD Students, and teaches to undergraduate students in astronomy. Her research focuses on cool evolved stars, and exoplanets, employing the most advanced modeling techniques such as AI, and data from the most powerful telescopes on earth and in space, in particular high-angular resolution interferometry.

Passionate about science communication, Dr. Rau is a sought-after speaker for outreach events, delivering keynote presentations and engaging talks to bring the wonders of science to the public.