Dr. Jeff Norris

Dr. Jeff Norris leads mission operations innovation at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, creating tools that are revolutionizing the control of robots and spacecraft. He founded and leads the JPL Ops Lab as well as multiple industry partnerships applying virtual and augmented reality to space exploration. His team is currently developing VR/AR tools for controlling the Mars rovers, accelerating the activities of astronauts on the space station, and designing new spacecraft. 

Previously, Jeff managed mission planning and execution for JPL and was responsible for the software, people, and processes that command fifteen robotic spacecraft throughout the solar system. Earlier, Jeff led the development of mission control tools for the Spirit, Opportunity, and Curiosity Mars Rover missions and served as tactical activity planner in mission control. Jeff is the recipient of the NASA Software of the Year Award, NASA’s highest honor for a software project, and the Lew Allen Award for Excellence, JPL’s top award for a young researcher.