Michael Gold to Deliver SciX 2025 Keynote on UAP Research

This year’s SciX Conference will take place at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center, in Covington, Kentucky, from October 5–10, 2025. The conference brings together industry suppliers, researchers, vendors, and other professionals in analytical chemistry.

As part of the SciX Conference program, a keynote presentation is set to take place on Monday October 6, 2025, from 8:30–9:30 am EST in Ballroom B. This year’s keynote speaker is Michael Gold of Redwire, and he will deliver a talk titled, “Unveiling the Unknown: The Pursuit to Understand UAP’s” (1).

Cincinnati, Ohio, USA | Image Credit: © SeanPavonePhoto - stock.adobe.com.

UAPs, which is short for unidentified anomalous phenomena and formerly known as UFOs, refer to airborne, spaceborne, or underwater objects or events that cannot be immediately identified through conventional observation or scientific analysis (2). Unlike their pop-culture associations with extraterrestrials, UAPs are studied today with a focus on aviation safety, national security, and advancing scientific understanding. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the U.S. Department of Defense, and independent researchers are investigating UAPs using modern data collection, sensor technology, and rigorous analysis. The goal is to distinguish natural or human-made phenomena from those requiring further study, while promoting transparency, reducing stigma, and encouraging international collaboration in understanding these events (2).

Most UAPs end up being drones or planes (2). Many objects that are labeled as UAPs get solved eventually (2). Gold’s talk will talk about UAPs and the tools that scientists are using to better understand them.

Gold is the president of Civil and International Space at Redwire, where he oversees the company’s microgravity, civil infrastructure, international businesses, and government relations (1). He is known in the scientific community for his work in space policy and law. Over the course of his career, Gold has played a key role in shaping the framework for international cooperation in space exploration (1).

Gold started his career after receiving a BA from Brandeis University and a JD from the University of Pennsylvania Law School (1). Before joining Redwire, Gold served at NASA as Associate Administrator for Space Policy and Partnerships and in other senior leadership roles. At NASA, he led the creation and global adoption of the Artemis Accords, which outline principles for responsible and sustainable space exploration (1). He also negotiated the binding agreements for the lunar Gateway, implemented NASA’s first lunar resource purchase, and reformed planetary protection policies (1). For his contributions, Gold received NASA’s Outstanding Leadership Medal in 2021 and the International Astronautical Federation’s Excellence in International Cooperation Award in 2024 (1).

Earlier in his career, Gold was vice president of Civil Space at Maxar Technologies and spent over a decade at Bigelow Aerospace, where he managed launches of the Genesis spacecraft and supported the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module on the International Space Station (1).

Today, Gold continues to shape commercial space policy through leadership positions, including serving as vice chair of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation and previously chairing the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee (1). He has also contributed to NASA’s Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Independent Study Team and the NASA Advisory Council (1). Gold is also known as a writer and has testified before Congress on numerous occasions relating to space law, policy, and commercial space development.

Spectroscopy will be on the ground and covering the 2025 SciX Conference. To view our ongoing coverage of the SciX Conference, click here.

References

1. FACSS, 2025 Program. SciX Conference. Available at: https://www.scixconference.org/2025-final-program (accessed 2025-09-16).
2. Stahl, A. Are UFOs or UAPs real? The Planetary Society. Available at: https://www.planetary.org/articles/are-ufos-or-uaps-real#:~:text=This%20is%20probably%20the%20most,Image:%20The%20Planetary%20Society (accessed 2025-09-16).