Rate My Professor Dimitra Atri

Professor Dimitra Atri is an Investigator at the Center for Astrophysics and Space Science at New York University Abu Dhabi. He serves as the Principal Investigator of the Space Exploration Laboratory and Group Leader of the Mars Research Group. Atri earned his PhD in Physics from the University of Kansas. His research focuses on planetary science, astrobiology, in-situ resource utilization, and human spaceflight, with particular emphasis on Mars' atmospheric and water loss, the potential for life on the planet through the Radiolytic Habitable Zone framework, and the effects of space radiation on astronauts. He contributes to the UAE’s Hope mission to Mars and the Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt, and leads payloads for lunar missions including Rashid-2 and experiments targeting the lunar South Pole. Before joining New York University Abu Dhabi, Atri worked as a Research Scientist at the Blue Marble Space Institute of Science and as a Lecturer at the University of Kansas. He has held visiting positions at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany and the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in India. Atri regularly serves on committees for NASA, NSF, and the European Commission. He develops strategies for sustainable exploration of the Moon and Mars and operates facilities such as the SPEAR thermal-vacuum chamber while securing significant research funding from UAE space agencies.

Atri is actively engaged in advancing planetary science capabilities in the UAE and supervises graduate students and postdoctoral researchers. His laboratory has developed materials like the Emirates Lunar Simulant for testing and research purposes. Through computational modeling and mission involvement, his work supports broader understanding of habitability in extreme environments and radiation environments relevant to future crewed missions.