Media Arts and Sciences Associate Professor Danielle Wood '04, founder of the Space Enabled Research Group, has been granted tenure effective July 1, 2026 — a milestone that reflects her pioneering work demonstrating how satellite technology can advance justice and sustainability on Earth— a vision sparked during her MIT undergraduate years through NASA’s SERVIR program. Her group’s Environment - Vulnerability - Decision -Technology (EVDT) framework now guides sustainability and equity‑focused projects in countries such as Ghana, Angola, and Brazil.

Professor Wood’s influence reaches far beyond MIT: she has earned major honors including the 2026 Paul Gray Faculty Award for Public Service and the 2025 Letten Prize, advised the U.S. delegation to the United Nations, and presented at global forums from COP28 to the International Astronautical Congress. Colleagues praise her for uniting engineering, policy, and justice in transformative ways — a commitment that continues to shape the Media Lab and the broader space community. Click here for the full article from MIT Media Lab.