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The University of California at Berkeley recently appointed a new official to lead a $2 billion research and innovation center that is expected to be built at NASA Ames’ Moffett Field in Mountain View.
Victoria Coleman, a UC Berkeley professor and former chief scientist for the U.S. Air Force, took the helm of the Berkeley Space Center as associate provost last month.
Coleman said she’s up to the task of spearheading the research center after 40 years of experience in academia, government and private industry. Most recently, she was the head of the Silicon Valley innovation center for Airbus, a major aerospace corporation.
“At this point in time, I have all these ingredients, and over the years I’ve also learned to be patient and manage complexity,” Coleman said. “This is certainly a complex project so I felt I had a decent chance at making it happen.”
Two years ago, UC Berkeley announced that it was teaming up with real estate developer SKS Partners to redevelop a 36-acre site at Moffett Field, which it leases from NASA. The project would include 1.4 million square feet of mixed-use space, largely consisting of research and development laboratories, offices and classrooms. UC Berkeley also plans to build housing on the site, including for faculty, staff and students.
“My vision is that we build this place to be kind of the epicenter of the universe on new space tech,” Coleman said.
The research center is primed to attract some of the brightest scientists, engineers and students in the world, according to Coleman. In Silicon Valley, the startup ethos pushes people to dream big and try new things, she said. Eventually, it generates success.
“We build things differently here,” Coleman said. “We know how to get started. We know how to build companies, how to build value.”
The space center is currently winding its way through the regulatory process to get environmental approval, Coleman said. The hope is to bring the project to the UC Board of Regents for its sign-off in the spring.
“We’re barreling towards that deadline,” Coleman said, adding that the university was looking for ways to get the space center off the ground quickly. “We don’t want to wait until everything is built.”
Coleman envisions the space center as a community hub that will be open to the public. Currently, it’s difficult to access NASA’s research park, requiring identification and undergoing other security measures to get onto the former military base. It’s not impossible but not as easy as it should be, Coleman said.
The jurisdiction for the space center is another issue that needs to be worked out, Coleman said. Because it is located on federal land, issues around policing and fire protection services are more complex. UC Berkeley plans to involve the city of Mountain View and wider community in these conversations, she added.
“My responsibility is to bring all the pieces together and get the project over the finish line,” Coleman said.
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