UAlbany Summer: Grad Student’s Dream Takes Flight with NASA Internship

Vasuda Trehan stands in front of NASA's Earth Information Center in Washington, D.C.

ALBANY, N.Y. (July 22, 2025) — Vasuda Trehan has dreamed of going to space since she was 5 years old.

Now a doctoral candidate at the University at Albany’s College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity, Trehan is spending her summer at the place that can help her get there.

Trehan is interning at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, home to the nation’s largest organization of scientists, engineers, and technologists who build spacecraft, instruments, and new technology to study Earth, the Sun, our solar system, and the universe.

Her work is focused on developing machine learning algorithms that can predict the habitability of exoplanets. The algorithms will support the Habitable Worlds Observatory, a proposed next-generation space telescope that would identify and directly image habitable planets beyond our solar system.

NASA internships are highly competitive, with a reported 5 percent of applicants accepted each year.

“As soon as I was old enough to read about the planets and the solar system, I told my family I was going to become a NASA astronaut and land on Pluto,” Trehan said. “When they told me that was impossible, I’d reply, ‘OK, then I’ll definitely at least go to the moon.’ I was persistent. Nothing was going to stop me.”

An Unconventional Journey

Trehan grew up in Punjab, India, a region where women are underrepresented in the STEM workforce.

Although met with skepticism, Trehan decided to pursue an undergraduate degree in computer science and engineering at India’s Jaypee University of Information Technology, and then started a career as a data analyst/software application developer.

But she never lost sight of her goal to reach NASA.

"Even after I started a successful career, there wasn't a single night where I slept peacefully or did not think about how I would make it to NASA,” Trehan said. “What I believe is that if you stay determined and focused on something, paths will open for you. It might just take more sacrifices and time than expected."

Supportive Campus Community

With her family’s blessing, Trehan decided to study abroad at UAlbany in 2017, pursuing a master’s degree in computer science with a research focus on machine learning and satellite data analysis.

Vasuda Trehan stands next to an astronaut suit at NASA Earth Information Center. — Vasuda Trehan is working with NASA to identify habitable planets beyond our solar system.

Following graduation and a three-year tech career in California, Trehan returned to UAlbany in 2022 to pursue a PhD in information science. Since returning, she has worked in various student research assistant roles and adjunct taught undergraduate and graduate courses.

“I’m the first one in my family to study beyond an undergraduate degree,” said Trehan. “Having doctor in front of my name has always been a goal of mine and I knew that it would help me reach NASA.”

Outside of her department, Trehan has also worked closely with the SUNY Research Foundation, New York State Department of Health, UAlbany’s Center for Technology in Government and faculty in the Department of Physics, including Kevin Knuth, a former NASA research scientist who has studied and taught courses on space exploration for more than 20 years.

For more than two years, Trehan has worked with Knuth on a research project funded by NASA. The project is focused on developing an AI-based multidimensional algorithm to predict exoplanetary atmospheric absorption spectra. The tool can help improve our understanding of exoplanetary properties, along with general exoplanet climates and habitability.

Trehan says the project helped open doors to present at national science conferences and ultimately secure a NASA internship.

"UAlbany has played a major role in my journey,” said Trehan. “Without my research here, I would not have been able to make all these connections at NASA or been able to showcase my AI and machine learning skills. I’m grateful to have found such a supportive campus community.”

Future Space Travel

As a NASA summer research student, Trehan’s work closely parallels her PhD project at UAlbany, developing AI models that can quickly analyze the composition of an exoplanet’s atmosphere. She says the synergy between the projects has deepened her ability to contribute to NASA’s search for life beyond Earth.

Trehan plans to continue working with NASA researchers after the internship is completed and still aspires to be the first Indian woman to land on the Moon.

“People from my hometown are reaching out and saying how proud I am making them,” Trehan said. “Now everyone finally understands why I’ve worked so hard all these years. But there’s still so much more to accomplish. I’m just getting started.”