Who Is Fauziyya Muhammad Auwal, the First Nigerian Woman Selected as an Astronaut Candidate?

Fauziyya Muhammad Auwal wanted to become an astronomer long before she knew how to get there.

Growing up in Northern Nigeria, she says she did not have much guidance or many resources to help her find a path into the field. She started on her own, watching astronomy videos on YouTube and reading articles whenever she could.

Today, Auwal is a graduate assistant at Kaduna State University (KASU), an astrophysics researcher and founder and CEO of ASTHERA, a space-tech and astronomy initiative.

Titans Space Industries identifies her as an astronaut candidate, while Kaduna State describes her as Nigeria's first female astronaut candidate with the company.

The Director General of the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) alsowelcomed her as the country's first astronaut candidate during a visit to the agency's Abuja headquarters.

In September, she was also among young innovators who received ₦3 million from the Kaduna State Government under a ₦30 million support programme announced by Governor Uba Sani.

A coursemate helped open the next door

After completing her undergraduate degree and national service, Auwal enrolled for a master's degree at KASU.

A coursemate later introduced her to Dr Hammed Adeniyi Lawal, who encouraged her to apply for a mobility programme under the Pan African Planetary and Space Science Network (PAPSSN).

She was selected and spent six months at Copperbelt University in Zambia.

In an account of the experience, Auwal wrote that she worked with researchers, learned astronomical software applications and learned how to set up telescopes. The experience gave her practical exposure to astronomy beyond the self-study that had shaped her early interest.

It was one of the opportunities that moved astronomy from something she was trying to understand on her own into something she could pursue as a field of work.

Her work is rooted in astrophysics

Auwal's academic work is in astrophysics.

At the 2026 African Astronomical Society Conference, she presented research on the dust properties of molecular clouds in M33, the Triangulum Galaxy, focusing on NGC 604 and GMC 16. She also presented work on astronomy outreach in Nigeria and Africa.

She has also built ASTHERA, which Titans Space Industries describes as a space-tech and astronomy initiative focused on astronomy education, STEM outreach and the application of space technologies to challenges across Africa.

What the astronaut title actually means

Titans Space Industries currently lists Auwal as an Astronaut Candidate and as PMO Admin Lead for Space Economic Forum LLC.

The organisation describes her as a Nigerian astrophysicist and space advocate whose work includes astrophysics research, space exploration, space policy and international collaboration.

Titans is aprivately held, US-based company, not a national space agency, and its candidates come from several countries. Auwal told Daily Trust that the company is sponsoring her training.

She has also been selected as Nigeria's first female analogue astronaut for the 2026 LunAres Research Station in Poland.

The word "analogue" matters. An analogue astronaut works in an Earth-based environment designed to simulate aspects of space missions for research and training.