Farah Alibay: Canadian NASA Systems Engineer & Mars Missions

Being a systems engineer means having your fingerprints all over a spacecraft without ever leaving the room, and Farah Alibay, a Canadian engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (NASA Science), knows this firsthand: she worked on the Mars 2020 rover’s mobility system (NASA JPL Education). This article follows her mission-by-mission career — from InSight to SPHEREx — and answers the questions most people ask about her age, salary, and family background.

Known for: InSight, Mars Cube One, Mars 2020, and SPHEREx ·
Current role: Lead Systems Engineer at NASA JPL ·
Joined JPL: 2014 ·
Education: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) ·
Base: Los Angeles, California ·
Public presence: Author, columnist, and public speaker

Here is a summary of the key facts about Farah Alibay’s career and background.

What is Farah Alibay known for?

Mars 2020 Perseverance rover

• Alibay had two roles on the Mars 2020 mission: systems engineer for the rover’s attitude positioning and pointing, and later work on the mobility system (NASA JPL Education).
• Her work on Perseverance and the Ingenuity helicopter received widespread media attention (Concordia University).

InSight and Mars Cube One

• Before Mars 2020, Alibay worked on the InSight lander and the Mars Cube One (MarCO) CubeSats, both of which arrived at Mars in November 2018 (YouTube).
• She helped build and test the spacecraft and was part of the operations team for those missions (YouTube).

SPHEREx and current work

• Alibay is now the lead flight system engineer for NASA’s SPHEREx mission, a space telescope that will survey the sky in near-infrared light (NASA Science).
• According to her LinkedIn profile, she also serves as lead payload systems engineer for the VERITAS mission to Venus, a role that began in May 2025 (LinkedIn).

Author, columnist, and public speaker

• Alibay is represented by a speaking agency and regularly writes and speaks about space exploration (LinkedIn).

The implication: Alibay’s path shows systems engineers at JPL are not tied to one project — they rotate through missions, building expertise that spans the entire solar system.

What is Farah Alibay’s role at NASA?

What is a lead flight system engineer?

• NASA’s official profile lists Alibay as lead flight system engineer for SPHEREx, responsible for integrating and testing the spacecraft’s systems (NASA Science).
• Her current title is Lead Systems Engineer at JPL (NASA Science).

What did Alibay do on Mars 2020?

• On Mars 2020, she was a systems engineer for the rover’s attitude positioning and pointing, essentially making sure the rover knew where it was and could move accurately (NASA JPL Education).

How did Alibay’s MIT education lead to JPL?

• Alibay earned a bachelor’s and master’s in aerospace and aerothermal engineering from the University of Cambridge, followed by a PhD in aerospace engineering from MIT with a concentration in systems engineering (ICI Radio-Canada Télé).
• She joined JPL in 2014, the year after completing her doctorate (Concordia University).

The catch: Even with elite degrees, landing a job at JPL required persistence. Alibay interned at JPL before her PhD, a step that likely made the difference.

How old is Farah Alibay?

When was Farah Alibay born?

• No official NASA, university, or agency profile lists a confirmed birth date for Alibay (NASA Science; Concordia University).
• Radio-Canada, which provides the most detailed biographical information, does not include her birth year (ICI Radio-Canada Télé).

What is Farah Alibay’s gender?

• Public biographical references use she/her pronouns for Alibay (NASA Science; Concordia University).

The pattern: NASA profiles routinely omit personal details like age — a practice that aligns with the agency’s focus on professional credentials rather than personal biography.

What is Farah Alibay’s origin and family background?

Who are Farah Alibay’s parents?

• Her parents are not named in NASA, Concordia, or agency profiles (NASA Science; Concordia University).

What is Farah Alibay’s origin?

• Alibay’s public bio describes her as French Canadian (ICI Radio-Canada Télé).
• She was born in Montreal and grew up in Joliette, Quebec, until age 14, when her family moved to England (ICI Radio-Canada Télé).
• Radio-Canada identifies her as the first Québécoise to work as an aerospace engineer at JPL (ICI Radio-Canada Télé).

Who is Farah Alibay’s spouse?

• Her spouse or partner is not named in any verified source (NASA Science; Concordia University).

The trade-off: Curiosity about a public figure’s family is natural, but Alibay appears to keep her private life off‑limits — a choice that reinforces the narrative that her work, not her personal story, defines her.

What is Farah Alibay’s salary?

Is Farah Alibay’s salary public?

• No official NASA, JPL, or personal source discloses Alibay’s salary (NASA Science; Concordia University).
• Individual salaries for JPL staff are not published by NASA (NASA Science).

How are JPL systems engineers compensated?

• Public estimates about her salary are unverified and should not be treated as fact. No third‑party‑verified figure exists (based on absence across all sources).

The pattern: JPL salaries are rarely discussed in the public domain. For a systems engineer of Alibay’s seniority, the real figure is known only to her and NASA’s payroll office.

How to become a NASA systems engineer like Farah Alibay

1. Earn a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering or a related field. Alibay started at the University of Cambridge (BA and MEng, Aerospace and Aerothermal Engineering) (ICI Radio-Canada Télé).
2. Pursue graduate studies. She completed a PhD in aerospace engineering at MIT with a focus on systems engineering (ICI Radio-Canada Télé).
3. Gain hands-on experience. Alibay interned at JPL during her PhD, building the practical skills that later led to a full-time role (NASA JPL Education).
4. Join a mission. She started at JPL in 2014 working on InSight and MarCO, then moved to Mars 2020, and now leads the SPHEREx flight system (Concordia University; NASA Science).
5. Communicate your work. Alibay’s public speaking and writing amplify her impact and open doors for collaboration (LinkedIn).

The pattern: Every step in Alibay’s career added a new layer of responsibility, from intern to lead systems engineer.

Timeline signal

• 2014 – Farah Alibay joined NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (Concordia University).
• 2018 – Worked on InSight and Mars Cube One (MarCO) missions; both arrived at Mars in November 2018 (YouTube).
• 2021 – Worked on the Mars 2020 mission, which landed the Perseverance rover and deployed Ingenuity (NASA JPL Education).
• Current – Serves as lead flight system engineer for NASA’s SPHEREx mission (NASA Science). Also lead payload systems engineer for VERITAS (starting May 2025, per LinkedIn).

The implication: Systems engineers who prove themselves on small missions often get tapped for larger ones.

Clarity section

The pattern: Personal details are carefully guarded, while professional achievements are fully documented.

Quotes from the record

“I grew up in a small town where working at NASA was unheard of.”

Farah Alibay, systems engineer at NASA JPL (NASA Science)

“Alibay’s work to make STEM fields more inclusive has been widely recognized.”

Concordia University, upon awarding an honorary doctorate (Concordia University)

“Farah Alibay is an author, columnist, and public speaker represented by a leading speaking agency.”

Professional biography (LinkedIn)

The implication: Alibay’s public persona blends technical credibility with a mission to inspire the next generation.

Farah Alibay’s career is a case study in how systems engineering at JPL rewards breadth and persistence. She has moved from tiny CubeSats to a Mars rover to a space telescope, each step building on the last. For young Canadians dreaming of JPL, her path shows that a small‑town start is no barrier — but the door only opens with a Cambridge degree, an MIT doctorate, and a relentless focus on Mars.

Frequently asked questions