Dava Newman

Dear SA+P community,

I write to share with you that Professor Dava Newman will be stepping down as director of the MIT Media Lab at the end of this academic year, after four years of dedication and transformation in the life of the lab.

A lauded aerospace engineer with deep ties to MIT, Dava helped bring organizational, cultural, and financial stability to the Media Lab after a challenging period within its 40-year history. She was central in facilitating a transition to a new model of leadership, with stronger faculty engagement in the governance of the lab. During her tenure, she increased the numbers of faculty, graduate fellowships, and Media Lab memberships, while establishing fruitful new collaborations with outside organizations. Working with Media Lab faculty, she launched several timely research initiatives—in women’s health, climate sustainability, and life with AI.

Dava strengthened bridges between MIT and the Lab, notably building productive ties with the newly established MIT Schwarzman College of Computing and the MIT Morningside Academy for Design. A tireless spokesperson for the lab, she has presented its expansive vision at international platforms such as Davos and in many keynotes and presentations, from TEDx talk venues to leading scholarly conferences.

MIT’s recent return to the moon following a 50-year hiatus, along with increasing interest in human Mars missions, have motivated Dava to return her focus to her first love—space. She is co-chair of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine ad hoc committee on “High Priority Science Campaigns for Human Explorers on the Surface of Mars” and co-chair of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Space Technologies.

Dava will be on sabbatical during fall 2025 and then return to her home department, AeroAstro, while maintaining her engagement with the lab initiatives that she helped launch and lead. She will continue her role as faculty PI for Future Worlds–Climate Intelligence, MITRE-sponsored research, and the sAIpien program, as well as her engagement as faculty advisor and research collaborator on the Media Lab’s Women’s Health program and the Space Exploration Initiative.

After consultation with the Media Arts and Sciences faculty, I aim to appoint a new faculty director by April 30. In parallel, a search committee chaired by Mitch Resnick is working to identify a new executive director, who will be responsible for fundraising, communications, and the administration of the Lab. I thank Mitch, the committee, and Tod Machover, who will continue as academic director of MAS, along with everyone else working to assure a smooth transition.

Please join me in recognizing Dava for her inspiring leadership and wishing her the best for her sabbatical and continued innovative work to push the boundaries of knowledge—on earth and beyond.

Best,

Hashim Sarkis
Dean, School of Architecture and Planning