Patrick Besha
Adjunct Professor
Dr. Besha is the founder of the Global Space Group. He previously served as the Senior Policy Advisor in the Office of the Administrator at NASA Headquarters, focusing on global space exploration, economic and policy evaluations of major civil/commercial space initiatives, national security space issues, and international relations.
He previously served as the overall Asia lead, with primary responsibility for China and India, in the Office of International and Interagency Relations at NASA. Proficient in Mandarin Chinese and Samoan languages, he is a former Boren China Fellow and returned Peace Corps Samoa volunteer.
He has authored and edited publications for NASA, OECD, World Bank, Institute for Global Conflict and Cooperation at the University of California, World Economic Forum, United Nations Development Program, UNESCO, and academic journals. Most recently, he co-authored NASA's Planetary Defense Strategy, and co-edited The Economic Development of Low-Earth Orbit. He received his PhD in Public Policy from George Washington University with a dissertation focused on China's national innovation system, renewable energy and space technology.