After earning her doctorate in physics from Cal Tech in 1979, Córdova spent the next decade at Los Alamos National Laboratory as a member of the Space Astronomy and Astrophysics Group. She then joined Penn State University to head the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics.
In 1993, she began work at NASA, serving as the primary scientific adviser to the NASA administrator and the principal interface between NASA headquarters and the broader scientific community. During this time, she served on the National Science and Technology Council's Fundamental Science Committee. In May, 2007, she was chosen to be president of Purdue University.
Córdova's scientific contributions have been in the areas of observational and experimental astrophysics, multi-spectral research on X-ray and gamma ray sources, and space-borne instrumentation. Her multi-spectral approach uses telescopes on the ground and in space to approach a more comprehensive understanding of cosmic sources of radiation.
She has published more than 150 scientific papers and reports and has a current experiment flying on the European Space Agency's X-Ray Multi-Mirror Mission.
She is the winner of NASA's highest honor, the Distinguished Service Medal, and was recognized as a 2000 Kilby Laureate for "contributions to society through science, technology, innovation, invention and education."
The oldest of 12 children, Córdova was born in Paris and spent a few years in Germany, where her father served as the Chief of Missions for CARE, a U. S. relief organization. She graduated from high school in La Puente, Calif., east of Los Angeles.
An avid sports enthusiast, she said she also enjoys running, canoeing, hiking and cross-country skiing. Córdova met her husband, Christian J. Foster, a science educator, while rock climbing outside Los Alamos, N.M. They have two college-age children.
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