Alain Berinstain Brings Bold, Collaborative Vision as New Director of Florida Space Institute at UCF

Highlights

• Alain Berinstain joins UCF with about 30 years of experience across the public and private space sectors, including leadership roles at the Canadian Space Agency, advising at Virgin Galactic and Sierra Nevada Corporation, and generating $10+ million in revenue for in-space manufacturing of health and technology products.

• That cross-sector experience now shapes his vision for FSI, with one of his key priorities being to diversify funding beyond traditional government grants by expanding private and commercial partnerships.

• Berinstain describes his leadership style as parental, noting he is team-oriented, resilient and deals with situations head-on.

When Alain Berinstain talks about space, he doesn't just talk about rockets or research missions - he talks about people, partnerships and the power of doing things that haven't been done before.

That daring mindset is exactly what he's bringing to his new role as director of the Florida Space Institute (FSI) at UCF, which supports space research, development and education activities, along with the development of Florida's space economy - civil, defense and commercial.

A business and research strategist, Berinstain brings more than 30 years of experience in the space industry, driving strategic growth and domestic and international partnerships. He officially stepped into the role in December of last year, ready to elevate FSI into a nationally recognized institute while strengthening UCF's research profile, supporting Florida's rapidly growing space economy and driving even greater global impact.

"Being bold is having ideas and doing things that nobody has ever done before," Berinstain says. "If you do that in a collaborative way, then - pardon the pun - the sky's the limit."

A Career Built on Making Connections

Berinstain's path to UCF wasn't a straight line - and that's by design. Trained as a chemist, he earned a bachelor's degree in honors chemistry from Concordia University, a master's degree in space studies from the International Space University and a doctoral degree in chemistry from the University of Ottawa. Early in his career, he saw space as a powerful platform for science, but also one that demanded collaboration across disciplines, sectors and borders.

From 1997 to 2013, Berinstain held leadership roles at the Canadian Space Agency, including director of planetary exploration and space astronomy. There, he managed annual budgets exceeding $25 million and helped negotiate Canada's participation in major NASA missions such as the James Webb Space Telescope, OSIRIS-REx and the Mars Phoenix Lander. He also co-authored the original Global Exploration Roadmap, aligning international partners around shared exploration goals.

"I aim to show people how FSI can help meet their goals … and, in the end, raise the research profile in space at UCF, in Florida and in the world."

Berinstain later moved between public service and the private sector, advising companies such as Virgin Galactic and Sierra Nevada Corporation, leading global development at Moon Express Inc. and most recently serving as chief strategy officer at science-based solutions company CSS Inc. Along the way, he helped generate more than $10 million in revenue for in-space manufacturing of health and technology products and cultivated strategic partnerships with academia, government and industry stakeholders.

That cross-sector experience now shapes his vision for FSI - especially when it comes to funding. A key priority, he says, is diversifying funding beyond traditional government grants by expanding private and commercial partnerships.

"Since I've spent time in other sectors and made contacts, I look forward to mining [those] to help collaborate and redevelop those relationships," he says. "I aim to show people how FSI can help meet their goals and come up with new opportunities that we can respond to, and, in the end, raise the research profile in space at UCF, in Florida and in the world."

Why UCF - and Why Now

FSI's unique position within a deeply collaborative campus and a statewide network of space researchers is what Berinstain says drew him to UCF.

"We lead our own world-class science, but we also partner with researchers across colleges and departments … There's real strength in numbers."

"Where FSI fits within the UCF ecosystem is really interesting. We lead our own world-class science, but we also partner with researchers across colleges and departments," he says. "What also attracted me is the collaboration among state universities in Florida. With the new consortium for university space research, in which we're in a leadership position, there's real strength in numbers."

From the Earth's upper atmosphere to the origins of the planets and the dynamics of asteroids, FSI's research tackles some of the biggest questions in space science. Building on those strengths, Berinstain is setting his sights on what comes next: expanding into areas shaping the future of commercial space, including microgravity research, pharmaceuticals and defense.

"I plan to grow FSI in areas that are of national and economic importance. They all need help from strong research groups," he says. "It's not so much about what we want to do - it's about what they need us for. And that creates all kinds of cool opportunities for us for amazing research and mutually beneficial collaboration."

Building on Momentum

Just weeks into the role, Berinstain says he's already felt the energy that surrounds space at UCF.

"I participated in Space Week at UCF … and I came away [from that experience realizing] how pervasive and important space is to the culture of the institute," he says. So it feels like I've got to catch up to that momentum. It's an honor. It's a challenge. It's wonderful to leverage that for FSI."

Ask Berinstain about his leadership style, and don't be surprised if he starts with a pop culture reference.

"Do you watch The Big Bang Theory?" he says. "Sheldon Cooper has that line: 'I'm not crazy. My mom got me tested.' Well, I've been tested for my leadership style."

According to that assessment, Berinstain falls into what's known as a "parental" leadership style - a label he's quick to unpack.

"It sounds funny," he says, "but what it really means is guided leadership. I'm very team-oriented. I'm resilient. I deal with situations head-on."

At the core of that approach is trust - trusting people to do their best work when they feel supported and empowered.

"There are people here who've been doing amazing work for a long time. I want to build on that," he says.

A Bigger Picture of Impact

For Berinstain, success at FSI isn't just about dollars raised - it's about alignment and purpose.

"I prefer to think of research funding as impact," he says, "as contributions to UCF, to Florida and to our country. Let's meet our own priorities and help others meet theirs. That'll help in our growth."

With a strong space legacy, a collaborative spirit and a rapidly expanding frontier ahead, Berinstain sees FSI entering a new era of possibility as a leader in space research.

Simply put, "it's a dream job," he says.

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