Nagin Cox
TED Speaker, Interplanetary Storyteller, & Space Exploration Engineer
Nagin Cox
TED Speaker, Interplanetary Storyteller, & Space Exploration Engineer
Biography
As a 10-year-old girl fascinated by Star Trek and Carl Sagan’s Cosmos, Nagin Cox had a dream of exploring space. And through incredible determination, a fighting spirit and a never-quit attitude, she has done just that. Cox has been a spacecraft operations engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) for more than two decades and has played a key role on a number of robotic space exploration missions.
A native of Bangalore, India, Cox grew up in Kansas City, Kansas, and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. As a young woman raised in a Muslim/multi-cultural household, she realized how easily we separate ourselves based on gender, race or nationality. This experience inspired her to do something that brings people together instead of dividing them. The Space Program helps the world “look up” and remember that we are one world, she says.
At JPL, Cox has held leadership and system engineering positions on multiple interplanetary robotic missions including the Galileo mission to Jupiter and four of the five rovers the United States has sent to Mars, as well as the Kepler exoplanet hunter. She is currently a Tactical Mission Lead on the Mars Curiosity Rover, as well as an Assistant Mission Manager on the Operations Team of the Mars2020 Perseverance Rover.
Before joining JPL, Cox served in the U.S. Air Force as a Behavioral Psychologist and System Engineer in F-16 Aircrew Training and then as a Space Operations Officer at NORAD/US Space Command. Nagin holds engineering degrees from Cornell University and the Air Force Institute of Technology, where she was also the Institute’s first Professor of Practice, as well as a psychology degree from Cornell. Sometimes she is not sure which one she uses more — the engineering degree or the psychology degree! Nagin is honored to be the namesake for Asteroid 14061. She has also received the NASA Exceptional Service Medal and two NASA Exceptional Achievement Medals.
Nagin is an award-winning speaker for both NASA/JPL and the U.S. Department of State. She has spoken to audiences around the world on the stories of the people behind the missions, as well as leadership and the importance of STEM worldwide. TED called her a “first generation Martian” in her talk on one of the humorous sides to robotic space exploration.
Cox is a past member of Cornell University’s President’s Council for Cornell Women and has served on the boards of Griffith Observatory Foundation and Impact Personal Safety: Self-Defense & Empowerment for Women. She currently serves on the Advisory Committee for the Women’s Rights Division of Human Rights Watch and is an Advisory Council Member for The Planetary Society.
In her downtime, Nagin has raced with her dragon boating team, competed in sprint triathlons, participated in CalTech Theatre and sung with a Sweet Adelines barbershop chorus. She also enjoys exploring this planet with her husband.
Speaker Videos
Nagin Cox and Actua's Outreach Team
Nagin Cox's Hot Takes on Teamwork, STEM, and the Rover
Johnson County Library Foundation - Nagin Cox, Explorer of the Universe
Living on Mars Time | NASA JPL Engineer Nagin Cox Shares Her Experience
HRStv Update: A Conversation w/ Heart Rhythm 2021 Plenary Speaker Nagin Cox, NASA Systems Engineer
Nagin Cox Reflects On Her Journey To The Top Of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab
Exclusief interview met Nagin Cox
TED: What Time Is It on Mars?
SIGGRAPH 2016 – NASA’s Z. Nagin Cox, Keynote Speaker
Living on Two Planets: Mars Time | Nagin Cox | TEDxBeaconStreet
Speech Topics
How High-Performing Teams Can Achieve the Impossible
Trying to achieve what seems like the unattainable on a daily basis is no easy feat. But when you have an incredible team and leader in place, it’s definitely doable. In this fascinating talk, Nagin Cox, a spacecraft operations engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, former U.S. Air Force Space Operations Officer at NORAD/US Space Command, shares stories of what it takes for a team to seamlessly work together. Through personal stories, Cox reveals how her crews have successfully collaborated — even in the middle of a pandemic — the importance of mission and goals and how communication is critical to success. They are lessons that can easily be transferable to your team, so they can reach for the stars, too.
Perspective: Your Hidden Superpower for Overcoming Adversity
One thing we all share as humans is facing adversity in our lives. There are 6 most common types of adversity: physical, mental, emotional, social, spiritual, and financial. We have all experienced some of these. Nagin’s powerful story of journeying from immigrant roots while overcoming barriers to achieve her dream of being a NASA engineer is a story of resilience and triumph in the face of adversity. In this popular and fascinating talk, Nagin Cox, a spacecraft operations engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, former U.S. Air Force Space Operations Officer at NORAD/US Space Command, shares stories of how she overcame obstacle after obstacle to make it in one of the most challenging environments in the world- the high stakes, high powered world of NASA.
We can all reach for the stars-it starts with your hidden superpower- perspective. Using her trademark humor, she’ll explore how keeping your perspective can change every day of your life and help you achieve your personal dreams including happiness and fulfillment- even if the rest of the world seems to disagree. Nagin has shared her remarkable story around the US and the world to standing ovations and brings her audiences to tears with her insights into how to overcome adversity and live the life YOU choose.
Leadership Lessons From Earth & Space
When it comes to leading a team, it doesn’t get much more multi-faceted than working with some of the world’s brightest engineers and scientists. But Nagin Cox has done just that. With more than two decades working at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), and as a former U.S. Airforce Space Operations Officer at NORAD/US Space Command and an IBM engineer, Cox has unintentionally amassed a body of lessons learned in leadership, psychology, system engineering and STEM. In this presentation, she’ll share her journey and the significance of teamwork, adapting to unusual circumstances and why communication is so critical to success. She’ll also discuss the importance of perseverance and how it can pay off for you and your teams, too.
Engaging Students in STEM: Preparing the Next Generation
In an increasingly complex world, STEM education is more important than ever. A background in science, technology, engineering or math allows students to succeed in any industry. Just ask Nagin Cox, whose life has been filled with all four. She’s a spacecraft operations engineer for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). Before joining JPL, she served in the U.S. Air Force as a Space Operations Officer at NORAD/US Space Command and as an IBM engineer. In this presentation, Cox will share her journey and the importance of preparing the next generation for the world to come. She uncovers why a background in STEM is so important and new approaches to excite kids about STEM. She’ll also share why it’s critical for students to dream bigger and why shifting perspective can land them their dream jobs.
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