Dr Adriana Marais is an award-winning South African theoretical physicist, technologist, author and internationally recognised speaker whose work explores the frontiers of science, technology, human resilience and our future beyond Earth.
Her PhD and postdoctoral research focused on quantum effects in biology and the origins of the building blocks of life in space. Today, she combines her scientific background with a fascination for exploration, innovation and the technologies humanity will need to survive in some of the most extreme environments imaginable.
Adriana is Head of Science for the Africa2Moon Project, an ambitious initiative of the Foundation for Space Development Africa. The project is set to become the first all-African space exploration mission, with a pioneering radio telescope selected for launch to the lunar south pole aboard China’s Chang’e-8 mission, currently scheduled for 2029.
In 2019, after serving as Head of Innovation at SAP Africa, Adriana founded Proudly Human and its Off-World Project. The initiative explores how humans can live sustainably in harsh and resource-constrained environments, conducting research and preparing habitation experiments in locations ranging from African and Middle Eastern deserts to Antarctica. The lessons are intended not only for future life on the Moon and Mars, but also for developing more sustainable ways of living on Earth.
Adriana is also a researcher at Stellenbosch University and the National Institute for Theoretical and Computational Sciences, an expert with Singularity University, and has served as faculty with Duke Corporate Education. Her work extends into space resources, sustainability, emerging technologies and the future economic systems that may be required in extreme and off-world environments.
From Mars One to Africa2Moon
Adriana gained international attention in 2015 when she was selected as one of 100 astronaut candidates worldwide for the Mars One Project. When the project ultimately failed, she transformed that experience into a much broader mission focused on exploration, science and humanity’s long-term future.
She has since delivered hundreds of presentations across all seven continents, addressing corporate audiences, scientific communities, universities and TEDx events. She has also appeared in international documentaries including CNN’s Africa’s Space Race and AOL’s Citizen Mars.
Author & Recognition
In 2025, Adriana published Out of This World and Into the Next: Notes from a Physicist on Space Exploration, examining the scientific, technological and philosophical implications of humanity becoming a spacefaring civilisation.
Her scientific and leadership achievements include recognition through the L’Oréal-UNESCO International Rising Talent programme and the Royal Society of South Africa’s Meiring Naudé Medal. In 2025, she received the Forbes Africa Award for Academic Excellence at the Forbes Woman Africa Leading Women Summit as well as the Most Disruptive Award at the Women in Tech Global Awards in Paris.
Keynote Speaker
Adriana is a compelling speaker because she takes audiences far beyond a conventional conversation about technology. She uses space exploration as a lens through which to examine innovation, resilience, sustainability, collaboration and the future of humanity.
Her presentations challenge audiences to become comfortable with the unknown and to recognise that some of humanity’s greatest advances emerge when we are prepared to explore beyond familiar boundaries.
Speaking Topics: The Future of Humanity • Innovation & Disruption • Space Exploration • Africa’s Role in the Global Space Economy • AI & Emerging Technology • Sustainability • Resilience in Extreme Environments • Future Thinking • Science & Technology • Leadership into the Unknown • The Future of Work & Society
Ideal for: Leadership Conferences • Innovation Summits • Technology Conferences • Future-Focused Events • Women’s Leadership Events • Sustainability Conferences • Executive Strategy Sessions • STEM Events • Inspirational Keynotes
