Sahba El-Shawa is a Jordanian-Canadian interdisciplinary researcher
and social entrepreneur originally from Palestine. She is the
Founder of the
Jordan Space Research Initiative, which aims to bridge sustainable development with space
exploration and establish an analog research facility in Jordan.
Sahba holds a BASc in Mechanical Engineering from the
University of British Columbia, an MSc in Space Studies from the
International Space University, and is now pursuing her
PhD in Sustainable Development and Climate Change
at IUSS Pavia in Italy. Her PhD research centers around the
neuropsychological basis of the Overview Effect, and how making it
more accessible using Virtual Reality can help drive sustainable
behaviour on Earth. During her studies, she collaborated with the
German Aerospace Centre
(DLR) on robotics research and completed an internship at the
European Space Agency’s Clean Space initiative focusing on the environmental impacts of
space activities, both on Earth and in space.
Sahba is an active volunteer in the
Space Generation Advisory Council , acting as National Point of Contact for Jordan, as well as
Co-Lead of the Ethics & Human Rights project group and the Space for
Climate Action policy working group. She is also a National
Coordinator in the
Moon Village Association
and its Participation of Emerging Space Countries program. Sahba was
the recipient of the
Women in Aerospace Young Professional Award
in 2021,the
Space Generation Leadership Award
in 2022, and was selected as an Alternate Astronaut for
Space for Humanity
in 2022.
She is passionate about outreach and education, and has organized
space design competitions for students around the world including
Canada, Europe, and the Middle East. Sahba is a vocal advocate for
decoupling defense and space. She is committed to creating
opportunities for underrepresented communities in space and helping
guide the space industry towards a more equitable, ethical, and
sustainable future.
They say a good leader has integrity, courage, respect, empathy, and gratitude. After working with Sahba for two years, it is clear that she possesses all of these qualities and more. Throughout my time with the Jordan Space Research Initiative, Sahba has been motivational and supportive, which presented me with the opportunity to dive in new endeavors. I can honestly say that Sahba is a huge inspiration and I am truly blessed to have crossed paths with her.
Sahba is an awesome person and a well-rounded professional. She has shown solid management skills and conducted cutting-edge research. We shared many moments throughout the MSS program and I really enjoyed our talks about space, physics, and consciousness. I could appreciate her sound knowledge in those topics and her never-ending willingness to push the boundaries and explore the unknown. She loves what she does and she expresses in a way that makes others feel the same. Sahba's attitude and passion will surely inspire every team she could be part of in the future.
Sahba was my mentor for the first time at the 2019 Canadian Space
Settlement Design Competition (CSSDC), which she had organized
herself. As one of the many students who was in an unfamiliar
environment, surrounded by other students I didn’t know, and
anxious from the stakes of the competition, I found Sahba’s
leadership comforting and encouraging - she helped students
overcome their nervousness and participate in the various
activities and get to know each other. She turned a stressful
competition into an enjoyable learning experience. During the
following year’s CSSDC, the pandemic had hit, and it was uncertain
whether the competition would occur.
Sahba, however, had put impressive effort into offering an
alternative, online version of the competition which helped us to
not miss out on any key opportunities while in quarantine. Sahba
was a great mentor in the 2019 International SSDC finals as well;
when I came to her with conceptual problems, she responded in ways
that helped me consider alternative ideas and reach the solution
myself. Sahba’s crucial support in the ISSDC, and her work in
organizing the CSSDC and making the space industry more accessible
to Canadian students, helped our team place first in the
international competition that year.