Dr. Christyl Johnson serves as the Deputy Center Director for Technology and Research Investments at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.  She is responsible for formulating the Center’s future science and technology strategies and goals, and developing an integrated program of research and development investments aligned to meet those goals.  Her portfolio also includes all strategic domestic and international partnership and commercial technology transfer activities for the Center.  Dr. Johnson also shares responsibility for executive leadership and management of Goddard, one of the largest engineering, science and project management facilities in the country, with an annual budget of ~$5B and about 10,000 employees. 

Dr. Johnson came to NASA Goddard from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, where she served under the President’s Science Advisor as the Executive Director of the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC).  Dr. Johnson was responsible for ensuring the establishment of clear national goals for Federal science and technology investments in a broad array of areas across the executive branch, including basic science, technology, energy, environment, natural resources, and homeland and national security.

Prior to joining the White House staff, Dr. Johnson served as the Assistant Associate Administrator of NASA.  In this role, she and the Associate Administrator provided the oversight of the agency's technical mission areas and field center operations for the 10 NASA centers.

Dr. Johnson came to the Office of the Administrator from the Office of the Chief Engineer, where she served as the Deputy Chief Engineer for Program Integration and Operations. There, she provided an integrated focus for the development, maintenance, and implementation of agency engineering and program/project management policies, standards, and practices.

Dr. Johnson earned her bachelor's degree in physics from Lincoln University, a master's degree in electrical engineering from Pennsylvania State University, and a Ph.D. in Systems Engineering from George Washington University.  Her PhD research involved establishing environmental life cycle cost elements to be included in future analyses to aide decision-makers as they assess the viability of alternative “green” fuels to replace the current toxic fuels used in space and aeronautic flight systems.