Tammy Ashraf

Brainstormer, Educator/Teacher, Engineer, Environmentalist, Explorer, Musician, Photographer

I am a space systems engineer and program leader working at the intersection of technology, Earth science, and large-scale problem solving. My work spans NASA missions, data systems, cybersecurity, and systems integration, with a focus on designing solutions that are technically rigorous, human-centered, and built to last. I was selected as part of the inaugural cohort of TED Emerging Innovators (2019) and later delivered a TED Talk on leadership at the TED Global Conference in Vancouver (2019). My work and speaking focus on leadership in complex systems: how we lead through uncertainty, build trust across disciplines, and bring people together to solve problems no single field can address alone. I am especially passionate about mentoring, community building, and creating pathways for women and underrepresented groups in STEM. At my core, I am a connector between people, ideas, and systems and I believe meaningful progress happens when curiosity, empathy, and engineering work together.

Designing and leading complex systems that deliver real-world impact, space science missions that drive new discoveries, systems and mission engineering across the full lifecycle, leadership in uncertainty, interdisciplinary collaboration, mentoring and developing future technical leaders, building high-trust teams and creating pathways for women and underrepresented groups in STEM. I’m especially energized by work that connects data, people, and institutions to solve problems that are too complex for any single discipline.

Leadership in complex systems isn’t about control, it’s about connection. When we bring the right people together across disciplines and perspectives, we unlock solutions that wouldn’t exist otherwise.

Agility, AI, Complexity, Earth Science, Mathematics, Project Management, Scientific Data Systems, Servant Leadership, Space, Space Missions, Space Systems Engineering, Systems Thinking

My journey to TED was shaped by a career in space systems engineering, where uncertainty is the norm and the stakes are high. Working on complex missions taught me early on that no spacecraft and no mission succeeds through technical brilliance alone. Progress depends on trust, collaboration, and the ability to navigate ambiguity together. Being selected as part of the inaugural TED Emerging Innovators cohort helped me step back from the engineering details and reflect on the human systems behind every technical one. Speaking at the TED Global Conference gave me the opportunity to translate lessons from space about resilience, alignment, and shared purpose into a broader conversation about leadership. Space has a way of changing perspective. It reminds us how interconnected our systems are, how small individual silos become at scale, and how much we depend on one another to move forward. TED became a place where my technical work, leadership philosophy, and belief in collective problem solving came into orbit and where ideas, like missions, could be launched far beyond their original context.

Seeing patterns across disciplines and turning complexity into action.