Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers Honors Trio of Johns Hopkins APL Experts

Three staff members at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, have been honored by the Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers (SASE) for their contributions to science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

SASE presents its Achievement Awards to individuals at various stages of their careers, from promising professionals with less than 10 years of experience to senior executives. The APL honorees are:

• Jason Kalirai, Space Formulation Mission Area executive, Executive Achievement Award
• Ray Espiritu, software engineer, Achievement – Engineer Career (22+ years)
• Stacy Teng, astrophysicist, Achievement – Engineer Professional (10+ years)

Kalirai joined APL in 2018 as executive for APL’s Civil Space Mission Area, guiding the development of multiple NASA missions, research programs and technology demonstrations. As Space Formulation Mission Area executive since 2023, he leads a team focused on developing bold and disruptive space science and space technology efforts.

Prior to joining APL, Kalirai spent 10 years as an astrophysicist with NASA’s Space Telescope Science Institute, leading strategic initiatives for the Hubble Space Telescope, James Webb Space Telescope and Nancy Grace Roman Telescope.

“It’s been a privilege working on so many important space missions, technologies and research programs at APL with some of the best scientists and engineers in the field,” said Kalirai. “I’m honored that SASE selected me for this prestigious award, and I look forward to working with the broader community to address some of the biggest science questions facing humanity.”

Since joining APL in 2013, Espiritu has played a pivotal role on several NASA missions, including NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART); OSIRIS-REx, the first mission to sample an asteroid; Psyche, the mission to explore a metal-rich asteroid, launched in 2023; and the Dragonfly mission to fly a rotorcraft to explore Saturn’s moon Titan. Espiritu also leads the data management team for the Europa Imaging System, launched on October 14 as part of NASA’s Europa Clipper mission to explore Jupiter’s icy moon.

“I consider myself extremely lucky in that I’ve really enjoyed the projects I’ve worked on and that I’ve been on some very good teams,” said Espiritu. “This really is my dream career, and I’d like to thank my colleagues, APL leadership and SASE for recognizing my efforts.”

Teng started working for the Lab in 2021, serving as a principal investigator for a mission in APL’s National Security Space Mission Area. Teng also offers her extensive expertise as part of the technical team for the Lunar Surface Innovation Initiative, a NASA collaboration focused on creating technologies for exploration on the Moon. She boasts an extensive science background, which includes completing NASA’s Postdoctoral Program Fellowship at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

“I’m grateful to have received this award for the years of hard work, but it really should go to my family, friends, mentors and colleagues, both past and present, whose support has made me the scientist that I am today,” said Teng. “APL has been a fantastic place for me to grow and learn from some of the world’s best, and a place where I am proud to contribute to impactful projects.”

Award recipients were recognized during the SASE National Convention and STEM Career Fair in Boston, Oct. 9-11.