Zaheer Ali has joined UCF’s College of Business 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 University’s 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’s role in space commercialization.   This includes expanding UCF’s network of industry partnerships and collaborating with state leaders and the State University System to develop the talent needed to sustain and advance Florida’s leadership in the space sector.

“Professor Ali is a pioneer in space leadership education,” says Greg Autry, associate provost of space commercialization and strategy at UCF. “He goes above and beyond as an educator working hard to help his students network and build successful careers in the space industry.”

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’s 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.

“It is an honor to join the team at UCF to help launch the first true space MBA,” Ali says. “Given UCF’s 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.”

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’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, overseeing software development, safety and quality, laboratory buildouts and international science ground operations.

He has a bachelor’s degree in physics from the University 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 business.ucf.edu/spacemba.