Dr Sian Proctor

Dr Sian 'Leo' Proctor is a leading astronaut, geoscientist, artist, keynote speaker and founder of Space2inspire, whose revolutionary work is sure to go down in the history books. In 2021 Sian became the first ever African American woman to pilot a spacecraft, the Inspiration4, in the first all-civilian mission to space. Sian has over two decades of experience delivering lectures as a professor since 1999 and is now a highly sought-after keynote speaker who engages and inspires her audiences. Sian is able to give tailored talks on topics such as geology, inspirational leadership, exploration, and imposter syndrome, as a small selection.

Born on the isolated island of Guam, Sian completed her BSc in Environmental Science at Edinboro University, Pennsylvania. She would then go on to complete a master’s in Geology at Arizona State University and her PhD in Curriculum and Instructions: Science Education at Arizona State University which she completed in 2006. Sian has had a truly rich and diverse career; her first role was as a Video Editor for WROC Channel 8. Alongside her studies, she was a Geology Field School Graduate Teaching Assistant for Arizona State University, this was her first role in education, a sector which she would stay in for over 23 years at South Mountain Community College as a Geoscience and Sustainability Professor. As a testament to her extraordinary teaching ability, Sian was awarded the NISOD Award for Excellence in Teaching for 2010-2011.

Devoted to inspiring others, Sian has given a wide range of keynotes to many different organisations, including women leadership groups, universities, k-12 education and informal STEM and community organisations. Sian uses AfronautSpace to inspire other black women, and encourage the conversation about black women in the industry. As an Analog Astronaut, she has completed a total of four missions: Sensoria Mars 2020 mission at HI-SEAS habitat, the NASA funded 4 months Mars mission at HI-SEAS, a 2 week Mars mission at the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) and a 2 week Moon mission in the LunAres Habitat. Sian’s TEDx talks are on the topics of ‘Eat Like a Martian’ and ‘Imposter Syndrome’; passionate about sustainability both on and off Earth, Sian released the book ‘Meals for Mars’ and believes the technologies which solve their problems in space will help will many of the problems we face on Earth too. As the CEO of Star Harbor, Sian is part of a team dedicated to making sure there is a sustainable thriving future both on Earth and in space for the future generations.

Sian believes in leading by example, and as a board member for numerous Space organisations, including JustSpace Alliance, Science in the Wild, SEDS USA, Explore Mars and the National Science Teaching Association’s Aerospace Advisory Board, there is no doubt that Sian’s expertise and knowledge is in high demand. In her talks, Sian engages the audience and encourages discussions about leadership, making connections, maximising opportunity and exploring our world and beyond. If you are looking for a speaker who is able to encourage the audience to take action and believe in themselves, look no further than Dr Sian Proctor.