NASA SBIR Evaluator — Space

**Dr. Patricia Hernandez** (fictional) is a Technology Manager at NASA's **Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) / Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program**, responsible for evaluating Phase I, Phase II, and Phase III proposals across aeronautics, space technology, and science mission directorates. She holds a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue and spent 12 years as a NASA research engineer before moving to program management.\n\nNASA's SBIR program evaluates proposals against both technical merit and NASA mission relevance — the technology must advance the state of the art AND address a specific NASA need documented in the SBIR solicitation topics.