SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
I speak to audiences that want a clear-eyed look at where deep technology is going
and who is going to build it.
As Chief Technology Officer of XPRIZE, I design large-scale competitions across space, AI, and quantum. Before that I ran a $700M+ program portfolio at DARPA and founded the Department of Defense's first lunar research programs. I'm also a novelist, a planetary scientist, and a Test Pilot School graduate, and I bring all of it into the room. Every talk is built for the audience in front of me, whether that's a boardroom, a conference main stage, a classroom, or a festival crowd.
What I Speak About
The coming lunar economy. How we go from flags and footprints to a working commercial economy on the Moon, drawn from DARPA's LunA-10 program and the Commercial Lunar Economy Field Guide I edited.
How prizes create breakthroughs. Why competition and incentive design pull technology forward faster than funding alone, from the inside of XPRIZE.
The deep tech frontier. What's real and what's hype across space, AI, and quantum, and how to tell the difference.
Keeping humans at the center of AI. A case for AI as a tool that extends people rather than replaces them.
The science behind the story. Writing science fiction that stays honest, built on firsthand time at the South Pole and inside classified programs.
Invite Me to Speak
Tell me about your event, your audience, and your dates through my contact page, and I'll follow up with availability and a proposal.
A speaking fee applies to most engagements and varies with format, location, and travel. I make accommodations for nonprofit, educational, and student audiences, so please reach out regardless of budget and we'll find a fit.
2026 invited talks
(Facilitator) Moonshot Workshop, What if We Succeed conference. Asilomar, CA.
(Panel) “Emerging Opportunities”. As part of “Space, Defense and Capital Out East” Symposium. The Hamptons, NY.
Space Computing for the Lunar Economy. Pasadena, CA.
Manufacturing Biosolutions to Strengthen Supply Chain Symposium. Washington DC.
(Panel) Imagining and Incentivizing Pro-Human AI Futures: The Role of Philanthropy, Policy, Private Capital and Narrative Change in getting humanity to a “Win”. As part of “The Better Path: AI Tools, Win-Wins, and Real Abundance” Symposium. San Francisco, CA.
SPEECH FEATURES
PODCAST FEATURES
BOOK SIGNING EVENTS
bard’s alley, vienna, va (MAR 2026)
At the lovely independent book store Bard's Alley in Vienna, VA. RSVP online here. Signing copies of Sentient, doing a reading, and handing out winning lottery tickets! Well... at least two of those three.
Other links to the event: Patch (Virginia) | FFX Now.
CHEVY CHASE LIBRARY, WASHINGTON D.C. (APR 2025)
At the Chevy Chase Library to discuss Symbiote and life in Antarctica!
Mary Riley Styles Public Library (MAR 2025)
At the Symbiote: Michael Nayak Author Talk | Mary Riley Styles Public Library! This event is co-sponsored by Bard’s Alley Bookshop.
Poetry and Prose, Washington DC (MAR 2025)
Click here to add it to your calendar.
bard’s alley, vienna, va (FEB 2025)
At the lovely independent book store Bard's Alley in Vienna, VA. RSVP online here. Signing books, doing a reading, and handing out winning lottery tickets! Well... at least two of those three. Click here to add it to your calendar.
