Dr Raha Hakimdavar

Senior Advisor to the Deans at Georgetown University ; Earth Commons Institute

Speaker

Dr. Raha Hakimdavar is a hydrologist, science policy expert, and space science leader with a record of innovation across government, academia, and industry. She currently serves as Senior Advisor to the Deans at Georgetown University in Qatar and the Earth Commons Institute, leading strategy and programs focused on environmental security, climate action, and sustainability education in Qatar and globally.

Previously, she was Director of Space Sciences at Ball Aerospace, where she advanced partnerships and scientific initiatives with NASA, NOAA, and international space agencies. Her public service includes leadership roles at the USDA Forest Service and as a Presidential Management Fellow at NASA Goddard. There, she helped shape UN Environment’s SDG 6 methodology and co-developed a U.S. government-wide water security framework, now used operationally by the U.S. Air Force. At the USDA, she pioneered a national science-based approach to watershed health assessments, directly informing federal policy and forest-level resilience investments.

Dr. Hakimdavar is also the Founder and CEO of Zyon Space, which supports organizations in leveraging Earth observation technologies for climate and environmental resilience.

A Fulbright Scholar to the Netherlands and recipient of the KLM Sustainability and Innovation Award, she holds a Ph.D. in Hydrology from Columbia University and a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Cal Poly Pomona. Dr. Hakimdavar has advised institutions including UN Environment, the World Bank, and USAID on environment and disaster risk reduction projects.