Zaheer Ali has joined UCF鈥檚 as an instructor and program director of space commercialization and strategy, bringing with him a distinguished background in space technology, policy and innovation across academia, government, startups and global enterprises. He is a partner at Space Outcomes LLC and New Space Finance and co-founder of Positon Inc. Most recently, he served as professor of practice at Arizona State 海角直播鈥檚 Thunderbird School of Global Management.
In this newly created role, Ali will help drive development and implementation of a strategic roadmap aimed at strengthening UCF鈥檚 role in space commercialization. 聽 This includes expanding UCF鈥檚 network of industry partnerships and collaborating with state leaders and the State 海角直播 System to develop the talent needed to sustain and advance Florida鈥檚 leadership in the space sector.
鈥淧rofessor Ali is a pioneer in space leadership education,鈥� says Greg Autry, associate provost of space commercialization and strategy at UCF. 鈥淗e goes above and beyond as an educator working hard to help his students network and build successful careers in the space industry.鈥�
Ali will work closely with Autry and continue his work should Autry be confirmed as chief financial officer at NASA.
Ali also will contribute to the ongoing development of educational programming that aligns the college鈥檚 mission to prepare the next generation of space-focused business leaders with industry needs. Last week UCF launched the online space MBA as a premier program for professionals looking to advance their careers in the rapidly growing space economy.
鈥淚t is an honor to join the team at UCF to help launch the first true space MBA,鈥� Ali says. 鈥淕iven UCF鈥檚 origins as a workforce development partner for NASA, its history as premier research and applied technology institution, and its location near the Space Coast, we are perfectly positioned to become the world leader in education for space and create the leaders who will take humanity into a new age of exploration and opportunity. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the College of Business and UCF community as we truly become Space U.鈥�
Ali has held executive roles at Hewlett Packard Enterprise, where he led global strategy for high performance computing and advised numerous space startups, including Pulsar Space, Magdrive, Parsimoni, ThinkOrbital, Paterson Aerospace and Space Railway. He is a frequent speaker on topics such as space innovation, artificial intelligence (AI), quantum technology, the future of work and enterprise agility.
Earlier in his career, Ali served as senior manager at the Universities Space Research Association, leading efforts in aviation data science, AI, quantum science and nanotechnology for NASA Ames. He was a senior member of the project management office for NASA鈥檚 Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, overseeing software development, safety and quality, laboratory buildouts and international science ground operations.
He has a bachelor鈥檚 degree in physics from the 海角直播 of California Berkely and an executive master of global management from Thunderbird School of Global Management.
The Online Space MBA starts Spring 2026 with a Dec. 1 application deadline. For more information about the program, visit .
