Joseph E. Meany, Ph.D. / President
Dr. Joseph Meany is a science consultant and Secretary for The Interstellar Research Group. Dr. Meany received his PhD in Chemistry from The University of Alabama, where he designed and synthesized single-molecule nanocircuits. He has 15 years’ experience in the chemical and materials sciences, and has since worked across government, academia, and private industry. His professional publications touch on nano-circuitry, instrumentation for space propulsion development, and new methods for 3D printing. He is coauthor of the book Graphene with NASA scientist, Les Johnson. With the IRG, he is a co-producer of the podcast series, From Here to the Stars. He lives in Atlanta, GA and can be found around the internet as Crimson Alkemist.
Lauren Randolph / Treasurer
Lauren Randolph is an accounting manager and Treasurer of the Interstellar Research Group. Lauren received her Bachelor’s degree from Georgia State University where she interned her junior and senior year at the Georgia Senate Budget Office during the state legislative session. She has over 10 years experience in accounting in both the private and public sectors, working for small businesses and large corporations alike. Lauren lives in Atlanta, Georgia.
Laura Montgomery / Director at Large
Laura Montgomery specializes in advising clients on regulatory space law, commercial space transportation, and the Outer Space Treaties. She teaches space law at Catholic University’s law school, and has testified to both Space Subcommittees of the U.S. Congress on matters of regulation and international obligation.
Ms. Montgomery spent over two decades at the FAA’s Office of the Chief Counsel, where she worked on commercial space transportation. Highlights from her time there include representing the FAA at the United Nation’s space legal subcommittee and chairing an inter-agency working group on space property rights for the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy.
She received her law degree from the University of Pennsylvania.
Also, she writes science fiction.
James M. C. Birchfield / Director at Large
International Podcast Producer and Owner of Videos, Vocals, and Adventures, LLC, James Birchfield is a Master of his field in Content Creation for multimillion dollar companies. Staying up to date on the latest trends, and managing Production teams in many different industries, James brings his unique insights to the Interstellar Research Group with the mission of inspiring or supporting, the first interstellar travelers.
Stephen Fleming / Secretary
Stephen trained as a physicist, and spent 15 years in operations roles at AT&T Bell Laboratories, Nortel Networks, and a venture-funded startup. He has 25 years of experience as a technology-focused venture capitalist and angel investor. Stephen moved to Tucson in 2017 to develop the University of Arizona’s engagement with the private sector, where he retired (2024) from the NSF-funded Center for Quantum Networks. He is an investor in over a dozen private aerospace startups, a founding member of the Space Angels Network, and is the founder and chair of the Arizona Space Business Roundtable. He maintains a consulting practice at Boostphase.com.