Roohi Dalal is a Research Collaborator with SGS, and the Deputy Director of Public Policy at the American Astronomical Society. She received her PhD in Astrophysical Sciences in 2024 from Princeton University, with a Certificate in Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy. She was a Postdoctoral Fellow in Space Security and Sustainability at the Outer Space Institute and University of British Columbia. She has served as Vice Chair of the American Astronomical Society’s Committee for Protection of Astronomy and the Space Environment, a critical volunteer role in the Society’s efforts to mitigate light pollution from satellite constellations, orbital debris, and the other environmental impacts of space activities. She was also a Next-Generation Fellow of the Physicists’ Coalition for Nuclear Threat Reduction. Prior to her PhD studies at Princeton, Roohi received her Bachelor of Science in Astrophysics and History from the California Institute of Technology, and was a Fulbright Scholar at Leiden University. At Caltech, she helped found the Women in Physics, Math and Astronomy organization, and at Princeton she served as President of the Women in STEM Leadership Council.
Research Interests
Roohi’s current research takes an interdisciplinary approach to space policy, leveraging her background as an astrophysicist, alongside law, policy, and social science to advance safety, security and sustainability in outer space. She is exploring the environmental impacts of large satellite constellations, issues related to the creation and impacts of space debris, as well as safety and security concerns for nuclear power in space-based applications. Roohi has previously published work addressing the national security interests in preserving dark and radio-quiet skies, as well as escalation risks stemming from potential collisions between lethal, non-trackable debris and nuclear command, control and communications satellites. She also has interests in satellite imagery for arms control verification and humanitarian interests. Roohi is interested in understanding and implementing lessons learned from other disarmament communities to help ensure that our space remains a safe and secure domain.
Publications
Roohi Dalal, Aaron Boley, and Michael Byers, Space Debris and Nuclear Strategic Stability: Collision Risks and Attribution Potential in GEO, Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies Conference (AMOS), 2024 Technical Paper
Roohi Dalal, National Security Interests in Relation to Dark and Quiet Skies, Astronomy and Satellite Constellations: Pathways Forward, Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union Symposia and Colloquia (April 2025)
Roohi Dalal, Environmental Impacts Throughout a Satellite Megaconstellation Lifecycle; book chapter in preparation for the “Responsibility in Space” project by the Academy of International Affairs NRW).
Vivienne Zhang and Roohi Dalal, Safety and Security at the Nuclear-Space Nexus, in preparation.
A full list of Roohi’s publications, including ones in astrophysics, is available here.
Talks
Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies Conference, September 2024.
Space Security Panel, Western University Space Day, April 2024.
Liechtenstein Institute on Self-Determination, Princeton University, April 2023.
Princeton School on Science and Global Security, October 2022.
International Astronomical Union Symposium on Astronomy and Satellite Constellations, October 2023.
Podcasts
Outside/In: The New Space Race, New Hampshire Public Radio, July 2024.
Project Save The World: Physicists Against The Bomb, August 2024.