Photograph of Nicole (Nicki) Rayl. She has a brown bob haircut and is wearing a pattern blouse with dark blazer.

Nicole (Nicki) Rayl

Heliophysics Division Deputy Director (Acting)

Nicole (Nicki) Rayl is acting deputy director of the Heliophysics Division in the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. The Heliophysics Division manages a portfolio of space systems and scientific research dedicated to studying the Sun, heliosphere, and planetary environments as elements of a single interconnected system. 

In her permanent position, Rayl is the heliophysics associate director for flight. In this role, she leads the flight portfolio for 12 spaceflight missions in development and 20 operating missions.

Prior to her current role, Rayl was the acting chief technologist for SMD where she defined the agency’s science technology strategy and implementation plans. From 2014-2021, Rayl was the space biology program manager where she designed and implemented research and engineering developments for NASA’s non-human biological research to further understand the basic mechanisms of adaptation or acclimation to spaceflight. 

Rayl joined NASA at the agency’s Ames Research Center in 2004 as a payload manager for life science payloads on the space shuttle and International Space Station.  From 2004-2013, she was a payload and project manager, responsible for numerous flight payloads, hardware developments, ground facilities and technology demonstrations, ranging from cell biology, microbiology, plant biology to invertebrate and vertebrate biology and human research. Rayl led the development of the GeneLab initiative, as well as the U.S./Russian collaborative project for Bion-M1 and enabled international cooperation through the U.S./Russian Joint Working Group and the International Space Life Sciences Working Group.

Before joining NASA, Rayl worked as a field marine ecologist and scientific diver, focusing on invertebrate biology and invasive species models. She has a bachelor’s degree from UC Davis in Environmental Biology/Marine Ecology.

Rayl is the recipient of three Space Flight Awareness Awards, An Early Career Achievement Medal, A Russian Commendation Award, and A NASA Silver Snoopy Award, among others.

In her spare time, Rayl enjoys the outdoors with her family.