Since 1998, Madhulika “Lika” Guhathakurta has worked at NASA as an astrophysicist and scientist in the Heliophysics Division of the agency’s Science Mission Directorate. Her work focuses on advancing heliophysics research on the Sun and its impact throughout our solar system.
These efforts have included her service as the lead program scientist for Living With a Star, a multifaceted NASA initiative examining how the Sun directly affects both astronauts in space and all of us here on Earth. Guhathakurta’s wide-ranging roles and responsibilities at NASA have also involved building instruments for spacecraft.
Guhathakurta was born in Kolkata (also known as Calcutta), the capital and largest city of India’s state of West Bengal. In 1977, she graduated from Hindu College in Delhi (officially called the National Capital Territory of Delhi) with a B.S. in physics.
In the time since, Guhathakurta’s academic accomplishments have included earning an M.S. in astrophysics from the University of Delhi in 1979; an MPhil in astrophysics and cosmology from the same university in 1980; and a Ph.D. in solar physics from the University of Denver in 1989.
Guhathakurta was a research scientist at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado Boulder between 1989 and 1992. She subsequently worked as a research scientist at the Universities Space Research Association in Washington, D.C., from 1993 to 1995; and a research professor at the Catholic University of America (likewise located in the nation’s capital) between 1995 and 1998.
It was during the 1990s that Guhathakurta played a pivotal role in developing scientific experiments that were carried out by astronauts as part of various NASA space shuttle missions. These missions were STS-56 in 1993; STS-69 in 1995; STS-77 in 1996; STS-87 in 1997; and STS-95 in 1998.
During her longtime tenure to date at NASA, Guhathakurta has been awarded numerous honors for her professional achievements. These honors have included being the recipient of the NASA Headquarters Exceptional Performance Award in 2006 for outstanding curiosity and initiative.
Those attributes were clearly conveyed when, during a 2025 interview with Swan Hellenic (a British cruise line specializing in history- and culture-themed expedition tours), Guhathakurta was asked to provide advice for aspiring space scientists.
“Follow your curiosity, not just your credentials,” she responded. “Space science thrives on cross-pollination — of ideas, disciplines, and perspectives. Learn math, but also learn to wonder . . . . And remember: your unique perspective is your superpower.”
Photo Credit: NASA
For more information on Madhulika “Lika” Guhathakurta, please check out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madhulika_Guhathakurta
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