Bethany Downer works around the world in the domain of outreach and communications for space. Born and raised in Newfoundland Canada, she now resides in Brussels, Belgium. 

Bethany manages the press and outreach for the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope for the European Space Agency and is responsible overseeing the telescope’s 30th Anniversary celebrations and public engagement initiatives for Europe in 2020.

From 2018 to 2020, Bethany serves on the Secretariat of the International Astronomical Union’s centenary celebrations (IAU100). In addition to her role in the secretariat as communications officer, she was designated responsible for four IAU100 global astronomy outreach projects. This includes the 100 Hours of Astronomy event which took place from 10-13 January 2019, during which over 1200 astronomy-related outreach and education events took place simultaneously around the world in 86 countries. The IAU100’s celebration of the 50th anniversary of the 1969 moon landing in July 2019 that she coordinated saw over 1 million attendees in over 1000 activities worldwide in over 130 countries. In November 2019 Bethany coordinated the Astronomy Day in School initiative, which engaged over 110 000 students in 70 countries worldwide. In February 2020 she coordinated the Pale Blue Dot 30th anniversary global project that sought to stimulate discussions on the relationship between astronomy and global citizenship, and yielded participation in 52 countries around the world. 

Bethany also manages the website SpaceScoop.org, that actively collaborates with top-level astronomy organizations worldwide to develop weekly articles aimed for younger readers that are published and disseminated with new scientific press releases. She is also professionally involved with the annual UNESCO International Day of Light and currently manages the communications and outreach for the Space Generation Advisory Council. 

Bethany is the first scientist-astronaut candidate for Project PoSSUM from Atlantic Canada and has plans to complete her first suborbital flight within the next decade. She is an active keynote and public speaker, and recently conducted a public engagement tour across her home island of Newfoundland where she has spoken to over 10,000 students to date about her activities and astronomy. One of her priorities is to improve access to opportunities for young professionals and students – particularly young women – from rural and indigenous regions in Canada who seek a career in the space industry. Bethany also coordinates a monthly newsletter for young women in the aerospace sector. 

At 26 years old, she is the youngest-ever recipient of Memorial University’s Horizon Alumni award, which she received in 2018, and has twice been named one of Canada’s Top 30 Under 30. In 2019 she was awarded the Space Generation Leadership Award and was presented with the Sovereign’s Medal by Canada’s Governor General.