Dr. Lori S. Glaze (’89 MS, ’85 BA, Physics)

Tell us about yourself.
I grew up mostly in the Dallas-Fort Worth area (with short stints in Slidell, Louisiana, and Bellevue, Washington), graduating from James Bowie High School in Arlington, Texas, in 1982. Currently, I live in Bowie, Maryland, (named after 19th century MD Governor Oden Bowie and no relation to Jim Bowie) with my husband and high school sweetheart Terry Glaze ('87 BA, History), and my mother-in-law, Judy Glaze. My two daughters live nearby in suburban Maryland.

Why did you choose to attend UTA?
Terry and I both chose UTA because it was close to our parents’ homes so we could easily commute. It was also very economical, and we could be close to each other. I received an excellent education at UTA and would never have ended up where I am today had I gone someplace else.

What inspired you to study physics?
I had always loved math and science; calculus in particular. I loved (and still do) how physical processes could be described by elegant mathematical formulations. Even more cool to me was that for my master’s degree I was able to apply my physics and math background to solve problems related to volcanic lava flows and explosive ash eruptions.

Describe your UTA experience. How did UTA help prepare you for your career?
UTA set me on the path for my future career. As an undergraduate, I took a volcanology class in the geology department that was taught by world-renowned volcanologist Steve Self. I loved the class so much that I stayed on to complete a master’s degree jointly between the physics and geology departments. For my master’s thesis, I developed a mathematical model that described the downwind diffusion and deposition of volcanic ash. I also learned to use weather satellite data to observe volcanic eruptions. I continued to work in both areas throughout my career as a scientist, applying my physical models and image interpretation skills to volcanoes across the solar system. I still work with Steve Self and we even published a scientific paper together a few years ago.

Completely unrelated to my future career, some of my favorite memories of UTA are from my time in UTA’s modern dance ensemble. I was able to perform in multiple shows including a lead role in an original piece choreographed by our director and set to an original piece of music written and performed by a UTA student. I also performed in the UTA productions of “Two Gentlemen of Verona” and “Company."

"Don’t be afraid to expand beyond your comfort zone. That is where you learn new things that can inspire you to do more."

What is your current professional position? What do you do in this role?
My current role is to lead NASA’s Artemis program that is developing capabilities and preparing astronauts for human exploration of the Moon and Mars. It is an amazing time to be in this role! NASA is poised to launch four astronauts (three Americans and one Canadian) on a trip around the moon in April of 2026, and in mid-2027, land astronauts on the moon for the first time since 1972. In my role as the associate administrator (AA, acting) for exploration systems development at NASA, I oversee the Moon to Mars program that is made up of the Space Launch System rocket, Orion Crew Module, Exploration Ground Systems at Kennedy Space Center to support Artemis launches, Human Landing Systems build by SpaceX and Blue Origin that will land our astronauts on the moon, the Gateway space station that will serve as an outpost for exploration of the Moon and Mars, space suits and rovers for lunar surface exploration, and planning for future capabilities that will be required to establish a sustained human presence on the moon and to send human explorers to Mars. In addition to the work being done in the U.S. by NASA’s industry and commercial partners, I work closely with multiple international partners in Europe, Japan, Canada, Italy, Germany, United Arab Emirates, and others, that are providing key components of Artemis.

Describe your path to your current position. What have you learned along the way?
It’s been an interesting journey! I never thought I would end up at NASA headquarters, let alone leading a human exploration program. A key part of my journey has been amazing mentors and a repeated pattern of getting out of my comfort zone to learn new things. My path started at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. I met JPL volcanologist David Pieri who came to give a talk at UTA while I was a master’s student. I was lucky enough to get a job working with him at JPL after my master’s on an idea to fly a satellite dedicated to observing volcanoes on Earth. The satellite never flew, but my time at JPL was very influential. It was while I was there that I began to apply my skills to better understand volcanoes on Mars and Venus and fell in love with planetary science. I also began to realize my passion for science research so decided to pursue a PhD at Lancaster University in England working with another renowned volcanologist, Lionel Wilson. I was fortunate to be able to work on my PhD while I continued working at JPL.

"I knew that I would never likely have this opportunity again, and even though I was scared of what I didn’t know, I said, 'yes.'"

While pursuing my PhD, I began working with another scientist, Steve Baloga. Steve Baloga and I published many scientific articles together and in 1996, after I did a post-doc at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, I joined his small private science research company called Proxemy Research. He and I ran the company together for about a decade. As the vice president of Proxemy Research, I not only conducted volcanology science research, but I had to learn and understand every aspect of running a small business.

As Steve began to near retirement, I had an opportunity to go back to the Goddard Space Flight Center to develop concepts for future missions to Venus. I had three amazing mentors at Goddard: Herb Frey, who mentored me in how to lead people with compassion; Jim Garvin, whom I collaborated closely with on numerous Venus mission concepts; and Anne Kinney, who was not only my first female mentor at NASA, but who gave me an opportunity to understand the value of leadership and just how rewarding it can be to enable others to conduct science research.

After almost 11 years at Goddard, I got a call from my next mentor, NASA’s associate administrator for science, Thomas Zurbuchen. I barely knew Thomas, but he called me one night out of the blue to ask if I would step in as the acting division director for planetary science at NASA HQ. This position was again, way out of my comfort zone, requiring me to fill a position in the senior executive service of the U.S. government. I also would have to give up my science research career and focus on science leadership full time. My mother taught me that “luck” is when preparation takes advantage of opportunity. The hardest part is “taking advantage” and jumping into the unknown. I knew that I would never likely have this opportunity again, and even though I was scared of what I didn’t know, I said, “yes." This was by far the most demanding job I had had to date. I led the entirety of NASA’s planetary science program, including missions like the Insight Lander, Perseverance Rover and Ingenuity Helicopter on Mars, the Double Asteroid Redirect Test mission to deliberately crash a spacecraft into an asteroid to demonstrate our ability to protect Earth from a future impact, the OSIRIS-REx mission to bring a sample back to Earth from Asteroid Bennu, the Lucy mission to explore the “Trojan” asteroids that lead and follow Jupiter in its orbit around the sun, the Psyche mission to study the heavy metal asteroid Psyche, and the Europa Clipper mission to study the habitability potential of Jupiter’s moon Europa.

After six years as the planetary science division director, I got another call. This time from the associate administrator for NASA, who asked if I would be willing to serve as the deputy for exploration systems development (Artemis). This would mean leaving NASA’s science organization and moving to human space flight. Again, this was way out of my comfort zone. I knew nothing about human space flight. But I did have a passionate belief that one of the key reasons we are sending humans to the Moon and Mars is to conduct science that cannot be done with the robotic explorers I managed from the science side. I was excited to work with the people planning Artemis missions and to bring a science voice to their leadership team. After only 10 months on the job as deputy, I was asked to assume the AA for exploration systems development role when my boss decided to retire, and that is where I am today.

How has the growth of technology impacted the field and your professional roles?
Technology has come a long way since the IBM 286 computer and VAX mainframes I used as a grad student and early professional. There is no doubt that the advances in computing power and communication tools have forever changed how science is conducted. Importantly, the ability to analyze massive datasets with automated tools has enabled new discoveries. This is not just on the ground in our offices and laboratories, but automation on spacecraft such as the New Horizons or DART spacecraft, that navigated the final approaches to Arrokoth and asteroid moonlet Dimporphos, respectively, or to drive the Perseverance Rover on Mars, have opened up new capabilities that are not even conceivable with a human in the loop.

"For me, the excitement is in opening doors to the unknown."

Can you share any defining moments in your career that inspired you to continue your work?
I’ve mentioned several of these above, but absolutely the volcanology class that I took from Steve Self at UTA. Who knows where I would be today if I hadn’t taken that class and met Steve? The next defining point was taking the leap to join Steve Baloga at his small company. That experience taught me not only about management but was the first real example of a positive result from taking a leap into the unknown. My third defining moment was when I took the leap to lead NASA’s planetary science division at HQ. That experience has molded me into who I am today. I am so thankful for that experience as it has opened my eyes to the importance of the people in NASA who accomplish all the amazing things NASA does.

What's one lesson you learned at UTA that has stayed with you still today?
The one lesson that has stayed with me is the importance of teamwork. Some of the most difficult classes I ever took were while I was a physics master’s student. I had some amazing friends in my cohort at that time. And while we never ever copied from each other, we did not see each other as competitors either. We helped each other find the resources we needed to complete homework assignments and to prepare for tests in graduate level quantum dynamics, electricity and magnetism, and classical mechanics. Despite being incredibly challenging, I enjoyed that time immensely.

What message do you have for the next generation of UTA graduates?
Be passionate about whatever it is that you love doing. And don’t be afraid to expand beyond your comfort zone. That is where you learn new things that can inspire you to do more.

What excites you about the future? Do you envision any major leaps in technology, exploration, and human advancement?
For me, the excitement is in opening doors to the unknown. Yes, new technologies and tools like AI and ML will allow us to do more faster, but to me those are tools. It is people that will develop those incredible tools, and it is people who ultimately will interpret the results. It is the discoveries that drive me.

Anything else you would like to share?
I’ve mentioned several of my wonderful mentors above, but I’ve not yet mentioned the most important mentor of all, my mother. As a female in a technical field, I know how fortunate I am to have had the benefit of having a mom who was a highly successful engineer. She graduated from Kansas University in 1960 with a degree in aerospace engineering, one of only a small handful of women in a class of several hundred men. She was a pioneer, and she is one of the giants on whose shoulders the women of today stand. She was also a single mom in the 1970’s, who raised my brother and I while working full time on navy airplane designs, thermal protection for the space shuttle and development of the Boeing 757 airplane. She was an inspiration to me as a technical leader and as a mom. She allowed me to pursue my education at UTA and never once tried to push me in any particular direction. She was an amazing role model for a professional woman.

I also want to share just how important the relationship is with one’s life partner. I have been incredibly fortunate to have an amazing husband; I could not do what I do without him. If you haven’t looked him up, Terry Glaze, another UTA grad, is an honest to goodness rock star. He was the original lead singer of Arlington, Texas-grown heavy metal band Pantera, and then the lead singer of Lord Tracy. He is still an active professional singer/songwriter and performer, but he made significant sacrifices in support of my career and to raise our two daughters. I couldn’t have achieved any of the successes in my career without him, most importantly because he doesn’t let me take my work too seriously and he keeps me grounded in what is important in life.