Deniz Burnham

Deniz Burnham
NASA portrait, 2021
Born	Deniz Melissa Burnham (1985-10-01) October 1, 1985 Adana, Turkey
Education	University of California, San Diego (BS) University of Southern California (MS)
Space career
NASA astronaut
Rank	Lieutenant, USNR
Selection	NASA Group 23 (2021)

Deniz Melissa Burnham (born October 1, 1985) is a lieutenant in the United States Navy Reserve and NASA astronaut. She worked as a drilling engineer based in Wasilla, Alaska before working with NASA.

Early life and education

Burnham was born at Incirlik Air Base in Adana, Turkey to parents Ed and Şahver Burnham. She relocated various times throughout her childhood due to her military family. Her Turkish mother had aspired to be a military officer, but women were not allowed to in Turkey at the time, and she later joined the United States Air Force.

Eventually, Burnham moved to Fairfield, California, graduating from Vanden High School. In 2007, she graduated from the University of California, San Diego with a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering and in 2017, graduated from the University of Southern California with a master's degree in mechanical engineering. During her time in graduate school, Burnham served as an intern at the NASA Ames Research Center.

Career

For more than a decade, Burnham led offshore oil drilling operations in various locations across the United States and Canada. Burnham currently serves in the United States Navy Reserve as the executive officer of a shipyard operations unit in Alameda, California.

Astronaut candidacy

On December 6, 2021, Burnham was revealed to be one of ten candidates selected as part NASA Astronaut Group 23. She started her training in January 2022, completed it with fellow astronaut candidates Anil Menon and Marcos Berrios in a ceremony on March 5, 2024.

Personal life

Burnham lived in Wasilla, Alaska with her fiancé Shaun Little while working as a drilling engineer. Burnham holds a private pilot license, as well as helicopter and instrument ratings.