Dr. Yvonne Pendleton, Senior Advisor for Research and Analysis
Dr. Yvonne Pendleton received her Ph.D. in Astrophysics from the University of California at
Santa Cruz in 1987. She has been a member of the NASA family since 1979 when she was hired by NASA
Ames Research Center upon completion of her undergraduate degree in Aerospace Engineering. NASA sent
her to Stanford University for her Master's Degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics (1981) and then
to UC Santa Cruz for her Ph.D. During that time she continued to work at NASA Ames as an infrared
observational astronomer, obtaining her thesis data from the Kuiper Airborne Observatory and the
NASA Infrared telescope facility on Mauna Kea. Her primary focus has been investigating the organic
component of the interstellar medium and the incorporation of that material into the early solar
nebula.
The International Astronomical Union named asteroid 7165 Pendleton to honor her pioneering work tracing the evolution and distribution of organic material from stardust to planetesimals. She led the Space Science and Astrobiology Division at NASA Ames (2005-7) as the Division Chief and served as Science Advisor to the Director of Science prior to that in 2004-5. She served as the NASA Ames Astrobiology Academy Director for Research (2004), and worked with many education outreach efforts to create high school level curricula for teachers (including Voyages Through Time developed by the SETI Institute). She was a Project Astro classroom volunteer in California Bay Area schools (through the Astronomical Society of the Pacific) for over a decade, teaming with 5th and 8th grade science teachers throughout the school year, and was named NASA Ames Mentor of the Year (1996). In her spare time, she taught undergraduate Astronomy at the University of Santa Clara (1993-99) and continues to devote much of her free time to encouraging students at all levels. She has mentored over 50 students from high school through postdoctoral research in the past two decades.
From an early age Yvonne wanted to be part of NASA and study the stars. The invitation to join the SMD team has allowed her to focus on an area to which she has always been compelled: maximizing the science return on NASA's investments in the future.