Alvin D. Harvey

Alvin D. Harvey is an MIT-Boeing Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellow and a citizen of the Navajo (Diné) Nation who is focused on Indigenous research methodologies and methods in aeronautics engineering. Alvin’s doctoral thesis was shaped by several goals: co-creating and applying Diné and Indigenous pillars of knowledge in aeronautics and astronautics; developing Indigenous space ethics, astrophilosophy, astrobiology, and shared engineering methodology; and capacity building and pathfinding in systems and complex theory, curriculum design, and bioastronautics. A postdoctoral fellowship will support Alvin’s ongoing work to develop a technical and communicative craft that speaks to the potential academic, strategic, and innovative partnerships between the space community and Native American and Indigenous communities. His objectives include centering Indigenous systems theory and knowledge in sustainable human and satellite space systems engineering, developing the first Indigenous space conference, and training a research team for a space analog mission grounded in Indigenous methodologies. Alvin’s groundbreaking work has the potential to bring innovative practices and transformational knowledge to aerospace engineering and disciplines across science and engineering.