Dr. Matthew “Matt” Forsbacka is the Senior Technical Advisor to NASA’s Chief of Safety and Mission Assurance. Prior to becoming STA, he was the director of the Mission Assurance Standards and Capabilities Division within NASA’s Office of Safety and Mission Assurance (OSMA) and was responsible for the development and maintenance of NASA directives and standards pertaining to SMA, as well as related methods, tools and guidance. Previously, he served as NASA’s Nuclear Flight Safety Assurance Manager with responsibility for reviewing the Nuclear Launch Safety Approval Requests submitted by programs and projects that plan to launch nuclear power systems and radioactive material in space.

Prior to rejoining NASA in 2018, he served in senior leadership positions at the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board the Department of Homeland Security. Earlier in his career, Forsbacka held staff level positions at DNFSB and served as a program executive at NASA. He started his career as a Nuclear Research Officer in the US Air Force, entering active duty in 1983.

Forsbacka has a doctorate in nuclear engineering from the University of Virginia and both a master’s and bachelor’s degree in nuclear engineering from the University of Florida.