Stars align as Leicester awards honorary degree to NASA’s science head
Dr Nicola Fox with fellow space scientist and University Chancellor, Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock
The Â鶹ÊÓƵ has today honoured the work of NASA’s effective head of science – who revealed that beloved Leicester City FC mascot Filbert Fox has a special place at the United States’ famous space agency.
Dr Nicola Fox, Associate Administrator (AA) for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Science by the University at its graduation ceremony held today (Friday 18 July) before an audience of graduating students and their families.
Dr Fox said: “I am deeply honoured and delighted to receive an honorary degree from the Â鶹ÊÓƵ. Many faculty and students had an impact on my early days in Space Physics and I proudly display Filbert Fox on my desk at NASA.”
Dr Fox’s role sees her direct more than 100 NASA missions to explore the secrets of the universe – missions that use the view from space to assess questions as practical as hurricane formation, as enticing as the prospect of lunar resources, as amazing as behaviour in weightlessness, and as profound as the origin of the universe.
As the AA, Dr Fox creates a balanced portfolio of carefully chosen missions and research goals to enable a deep scientific understanding of Earth, other planets, the Sun, and the universe. These efforts lay the intellectual foundation for the robotic and human expeditions of the future, while meeting today’s needs for scientific information to address national concerns.
Dr Fox joined NASA in 2018 as SMD’s Director of the Heliophysics Division, where she led a world-class team in understanding Earth’s most important and life-sustaining star. She oversaw NASA’s work to study key space phenomena and improve situational awareness of the very space our astronauts, satellites, and robotic missions travel through as they explore the solar system and beyond. Her portfolio also included NASA’s robust space weather research to help the US government better predict space weather, which can interfere with radio communications, affect GPS accuracy, and even affect electrical grids on the ground.
Dr Fox has authored numerous scientific articles and papers, in addition to delivering science presentations worldwide. She is known for her keen ability to make science accessible to a broad range of audiences, as well as her stellar leadership, creating a sense of purpose and belonging in her teams. In 2021 she was awarded the American Astronautical Society’s Carl Sagan Memorial Award for her demonstrated leadership in the field of heliophysics. In 2020 she was awarded NASA’s Outstanding Leadership Medal. In 2024, she received an honorary fellowship of the Royal Astronomical Society.
Dr Fox graduated from The Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine in London with a BS in Physics. She received an MS in Telematics and Satellite Communications from the University of Surrey. She then returned to Imperial College to complete a PhD in Space and Atmospheric Physics.
Professor Nishan Canagarajah, President and Vice-Chancellor of the Â鶹ÊÓƵ, said: “We are proud of our long association with NASA here at Leicester, working on many NASA missions over recent decades. We were thrilled that Dr Fox could visit Space Park Leicester last year and see the passion for space that drives our work and that we nurture through our education. To welcome her back once more to receive an honorary degree is a privilege.”