Mishaal al-Shemimry

Mishaal al-Shemimry, the first Saudi female aerospace engineer, is the Managing Director of the Center for Space Futures, the Vice President of the International Astronautical Federation (IAF), and an advisor at the Saudi Space Agency. Additionally, she is a commercial pilot and an entrepreneur in the peaceful rockets field. Al-Shemimry has won several awards, including the Inspirational Woman Award.

Mishaal al-Shemimry earned a Bachelor of Science in Applied Mathematics degree from the Florida Institute of Technology in 2006, where she also earned a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering. In 2007, she earned a Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering with a thesis entitled "Analysis of a Grooved-Ring Reactor Concept for Nuclear Thermal Propulsion."

Additionally, she obtained several certifications, among which are the following: Certified Commercial Pilot, Certified Advanced Open Water SCUBA Diver, Certified Nitrox SCUBA Diver, and Certified Rescue SCUBA Diver.

Mishaal al-Shemimry's professional life began during her undergraduate studies when she founded and managed the Infinity Math Club in 2004. She worked as a Graduate Research Assistant in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the Florida Institute of Technology from August 2006 to December 2007, where she achieved several accomplishments, including conducting research for the Space Flight Center affiliated with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

From August to December 2007, she was a graduate teaching assistant at the Mechanical and Aerospace Department of the Florida Institute of Technology. From June 2008 to April 2010, she worked as a systems engineer for Raytheon Missile Systems in Arizona.

In 2010, Mishaal al-Shemimry established her company, "Mishaal Aerospace," specializing in rocket designing and manufacturing. In the same year, she established and co-founded the Beauty Box Company. From November 2015 to May 2018, she provided consultancy in rockets and related matters fields in Paris. From August to December 2019, she worked as a professor in the Mechanical and Aerospace Department at the University of Miami in Florida. Since November 2020, Mishaal al-Shemimry has taken on the role of Space Nuclear Power and Propulsion Consultant at the Northrop Grumman Corporation, where she has achieved several accomplishments, among which is devising space nuclear power and propulsion technology applications for national security and commercial missions. She has also been an advisor at the Saudi Space Agency since 2021.

In 2022, Mishaal al-Shemimry, the Kingdom's representative, won the position of vice president at the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) in a voting process, ahead of fourteen candidates from around the world, making her the first Saudi woman to win a leadership position in the organization.

Her extensive practical and professional experience encompasses several fields, which are the following: aerodynamics, rocket and vehicle design, wind tunnel tests, predictive simulation, and rocket stage-separation analysis, with a strong focus on computational tool development.

Mishaal al-Shemimry obtained several awards, among which are the following: the Inspirational Woman Award in 2015, the Scientific Achievement Award in 2018, as well as the Outstanding Junior Award in Aerospace Engineering for two consecutive years during her undergraduate studies, and the Pioneer in Science and Technology Award for 2024. She was also granted the Florida Institute of Technology Scholarship from 2003 to 2005, four scholarships from the Florida Institute of Technology from 2002 to 2005, and four Florida Medallion Scholarships from 2002 to 2005.

Mishaal al-Shemimry built a robot during her high school studies and later designed twenty-two rockets for various purposes. She also developed a series of launch vehicles that aid in launching small satellites into the Low Earth Orbit.