Director, Materials and Processes Laboratory
Marshall Space Flight Center

Tawnya Plummer Laughinghouse joined Marshall Space Flight Center in 2004 as a Materials Engineer in the Materials & Processes Laboratory.

In 2017, she joined Marshall’s Science & Technology Office and spent the next 7 years managing Technology Demonstration Missions, a Level 2 Program for NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate. Under her leadership, the program launched 10 advanced technologies to space between 2018 and 2024.

In July 2024, Laughinghouse was appointed to the SES position of Director, Materials and Processes Laboratory, in the Engineering Directorate at MSFC. The Materials and Processes Laboratory provides science, technology, and engineering support in materials, processes and products for use in space vehicle applications, including related ground facilities, test articles and support equipment. As director, Laughinghouse will oversee a workforce of science and engineering experts, as well as several research and development efforts in world-class facilities, including the National Center for Advanced Manufacturing.

Ms. Laughinghouse earned a BS in Chemistry from Spelman College, and a BS in Chemical Engineering from Georgia Tech. In 2006, she earned a master’s degree in management (emphasis in Management of Technology) from the University of AL in Huntsville.