Dr. Jaydeep Mukherjee is an astronomer, faculty at the Univ of Central Florida, and the Director of the NASA Florida Space Grant Consortium. This consortium is a state-wide association of universities, colleges, the Astronaut Memorial Foundation, Space Florida, Kennedy Space Center, and the Orlando Science Center. The Florida Space Grant Consortium supports the expansion and diversification of Florida’s space industry, by providing grants, scholarships, and fellowships to students and educators from Florida’s public and private institutes of higher education.

Dr. Mukherjee's education culminated at the Univ of Florida with a Ph.D. in Astronomy and his areas of interest are close binary star systems.  Dr. Mukherjee is a strong supporter of STEM Education.

For almost 20 years Dr. Mukherjee has served as Director of the NASA sponsored Florida Space Grant Consortium (FSGC) He has held numerous leadership roles including  Director of the Florida Space Institute, Chair of the Southeast Regional Space Grant, and as a member of the National Space Grant Foundation Board of Directors. He's won numerous awards for excellence in outreach and published the book entitled "Close Binary Stars: A Pictorial Atlas" along with co-authors Dr. Robert Wilson and Dr. Dirk Terrell.

Dr. Mukherjee has been a true friend and supporter to both educators and students in the state of Florida for over two decades.