Space Conference Speaker

John Parks

Founder & Ecologist, ExoScientific

You’re viewing a past speaker’s bio. They are not currently scheduled for the upcoming program.

John Emory Parks is the Founder and Ecologist of ExoScientific LLC, developing biologically integrated “bioware” systems and closed-loop ecological solutions to enable sustainable human settlement on the Moon and Mars. With more than 30 years of experience in marine science, coral reef ecology, and international development in remote environments, his current work focuses on coral reef propagation as foundational technology for oxygen production, supplemental nutrition, adaptive radiation shielding, and future terraforming applications in offworld habitats. He previously served as Senior Associate at Tetra Tech and Chief of Party on large-scale US Government-funded marine resource management and coral conservation initiatives across the Indo-Pacific. Parks has held senior roles at NOAA, World Wildlife Fund, and The Nature Conservancy, and is the author or co-author of more than 70 peer-reviewed articles, guides, and technical publications with over 5,000 citations.


Other Conference Speakers at ISDC

Art Harman

President, The Coalition to Save Manned Space Exploration

Harman, Art

Reef Collins

Student Intern, Mars Institute and University of Central Florida

Collins, Reef

Dr. Pascal Lee

Planetary Scientist, SETI Institute and Mars Institute - ISDC 2026 Co-Chair

Lee, Pascal

Chris Cochran

Field CISO and VP of AI Security, SANS Institute

Cochran, Chris

Madhu Thangavelu

Department of Astronautical Engineering USC Viterbi School of Engineering and USC School of Architecture

Thangavelu, Madhu

Sindhoora Vemula & Ananya Ram

High School Students, North Texas Chapter National Space Society

Vemula & Ananya Ram, Sindhoora

Jim Plaxco

President, Chicago Society for Space Studies

Plaxco, Jim

Julia Lantos

Research Assistant, Sophomore, Saint Mary’s School

Lantos, Julia

Need more information?
Reach Out to Us.