Cosmic Conversations Unveiled with Sirisha Bandla
Join us on a celestial voyage as we unravel the extraordinary career of Sirisha Bandla, Vice President of Government Affairs and Research Operations at Virgin Galactic. From aerospace engineering at L-3 Communications to shaping legislative priorities for Virgin Galactic, Sirisha's journey is a testament to human ingenuity. Discover her pivotal role in promoting the commercial space industry through policy advocacy and groundbreaking research initiatives. With a background in aeronautical engineering and business administration, Sirisha's expertise illuminates the path to the stars. Tune in to explore the cosmos and the future of space exploration with Sirisha Bandla as our guide.
In this episode, host Medha Gupta chats with Debugged’s first guest astronaut, Sirisha Bandla! As a child, Bandla was mesmerized by the stars and the idea of going to space. Today, not only has she achieved her goal of venturing out into the stars, but she also serves as VP of Government Affairs for Virgin Galactic. In her role, she oversees legislative, regulatory, and government business priorities, and works with research companies to fly science and technology experiments on Virgin Galactic’s spaceship craft of vehicles.
Having earned her degree in aeronautical and astronautical engineering from Purdue University, she talks about the choices she made throughout her career to turn her goals into a reality. She also discusses the reasoning behind her choice in major—and even why Purdue was the right place to study it as an aspiring astronaut. Furthermore, she touches on standout mentors throughout her career, the advice they gave, and her advice on how to find mentors of your own.
Having taken many no’s as soft guidelines throughout her career, she discusses the most interesting times she’s flipped a “no” into a “yes.” Similarly, she recalls some of the most constructive feedback she’s received throughout her career, and how she took it to heart and grew from it. Touching on her early career, she mentions a few of the events that made her reconsider if becoming an astronaut was a feasible goal, and how motivating it was to watch the commercial spaceflight industry grow up alongside her.
Finally, she discusses her switch from a technical engineering role to a non-technical governance role at Virgin Galactic. Tune in to the latest episode of Debugged to hear more about Sirisha Bandla’s inspiring career!