The SETI Institute (short for: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) is a non-profit research organisation based in Silicon Valley near the NASA Ames Research Center and is dedicated to exploring and understanding the origin and spread of life and intelligence in the universe.
It was founded in 1984 and, in addition to its research work, also offers educational programs and formats for broader science communication such as lecture series and a podcast.
The Science Advisory Board is an advisory body of experts that supports the research projects of the SETI-Institute. Its tasks include advising the management of the Institute and the Board of Trustees on ongoing research, education and outreach programs, defining future research priorities, identifying new partnerships and collaborations and developing additional sources of funding.
Chelsea Haramia was selected for the SETI Institute's SAB for her interdisciplinary research at the intersection of science, technology, values and the environment with a focus on the ethics of space exploration and astrobiology.
As an ethicist and author of numerous articles and book chapters on these topics, she has made important contributions, particularly in the debates surrounding the ethical implications of SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) and METI (Messaging Extraterrestrial Intelligence). She is currently working on a book examining the moral responsibility of cosmic messengers and a collaborative project on astro-bioethics in a new era of planetary exploration.
The unanimous nomination as a new member of the SAB recognizes her work on ethical issues in space exploration and on astrobiology.
We congratulate our colleague on this outstanding nomination and look forward to her contributions to the pioneering research of the SETI Institute.