top of page

Speakers

DEDICATION, EXPERTISE, PASSION.

DrJimLogan_edited.jpg

Dr. Jim Logan

Former Chief of Flight Medicine

& Chief of Medical Operations,

NASA Johnson Space Center

Dr. Jim Logan held numerous positions in his twenty-year career at NASA including Chief of Flight Medicine and Chief of Medical Operations at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. He served as Mission Control Surgeon, Deputy Crew Surgeon or Crew Surgeon for twenty-five space shuttle missions and Project Manager for the Space Station Medical Facility, developing the initial design for a telemedicine-based inflight medical delivery system for long duration missions. After a year at NASA Headquarters he left the space agency to serve as Provost for International Space University, Strasbourg, France. Upon returning to the USA, he consulted for The RAND Corporation. A founding board member of the American Telemedicine Association, Dr. Logan has served as a telemedicine consultant to a variety of professional organizations, international and domestic hospital-based health care systems and the Department of Defense. Dr. Logan returned to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in 1999 and served as Chief of Medical Informatics and Health Care Systems, Chief, Dive Medicine Board, Medical Director of NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) as well as senior aerospace medical officer in the Clinical Services Branch of the Space Medicine Division. He completed a medical fellowship in Undersea & Hyperbaric Medicine at Duke University Medical Center in 2013. Board certified in Aerospace Medicine and recipient of NASA’s Distinguished Speakers Award, his lecturing activities have taken him to Australia, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Japan, Canada, Iceland, Russia, Argentina, Costa Rica, Guam, South Korea New Zealand and the Peoples Republic of China.As an expert in space medicine and biomedical issues for long-duration spaceflight, Dr. Logan has been featured on the Public Broadcast System (PBS), CanadaAM, The History Channel, National Geographic Channel and numerous radio talk shows.

Screenshot 2024-07-09 at 4_edited.jpg

Dr. Carmen Messerlian

Professor & Reproductive Epidemiologist, Harvard University

Dr. Carmen Messerlian is a renowned professor of environmental and reproductive epidemiology at the Harvard Chan School of Public Health. A passionate and curious scientist, innovator, and entrepreneur, her vision is to create a healthier future by improving couples’ preconception fertility wellness worldwide. At Harvard, Professor Messerlian leads an ambitious program of research and training where she investigates how the natural, built, and social environments affect male and female fertility, pregnancy, and child and adolescent health. Her engagement of the male partner in supporting women’s health and fertility shifts the reproductive medicine paradigm by empowering men. Her mission is to promote the health and wellbeing of couples to improve pregnancy and child health outcomes. Dr. Messerlian is a NIH-funded scholar, writer, and public health thought-leader. She serves on the Environmental Protection Agency’s Scientific Advisory Board and is engaged in policy action on state and national levels to curtail exposure to toxic chemicals that impact fertility, pregnancy and child health. Author of more than 95 scientific papers, book chapters, and commentaries, she teaches and mentors graduate and postgraduate students at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She holds a PhD in epidemiology from McGill University, an MS in public health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and a BS in nursing. After 5 years training as a postdoctoral fellow and research scientist at Harvard, Dr. Messerlian joined the faculty where she has appointments in the Departments of Epidemiology and Environmental Health at Harvard Chan and in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Massachusetts General Hospital. She is Adjunct Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at McGill University where she continues to serve her alma mater.

MathykBegum 2023_edited.jpg

Dr. Begum Mathyk

Assistant Professor,

Obstetrics & Gynaecology,

University of South Florida

Dr. Begum Mathyk is an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology, and reproductive endocrinology and infertility clinical fellow. She completed the NASA Aerospace Medicine Clerkship at Johnson Space Center in 2022, followed by another training program, the NASA Spaceflight Technology, Applications, and Research (STAR) Program. She is an active member of NASA GeneLab’s analysis working groups and the Aerospace Medical Association (AsMA). She published, presented, and was an invited speaker for several talks at various international conferences and institutions due to her unique field of female reproductive health in space. Dr. Mathyk is interested in translational science projects on reproductive endocrinology, imaging and surgery in space.

Cullen-David - Cranfield photograph - Ma

PRof. DAVID CULLEN

Professor of Astrobiology 

& Space Biotechnology,

Cranfield University

Dr. David Cullen's original training was in biochemistry at the University of East Anglia. He developed an interest in biosensor and bioanalytical technology research and development during his PhD and postdoctoral studies at the University of Cambridge. His initial academic appointment in the mid-nineties within the biotechnology activities at Cranfield University continued this work with applications in the medical and environmental sectors. His involvement with the space sector began with a chance encounter with a member of the UK Beagle 2 Mars lander team and a discussion about environmental biosensors being relevant to detecting life on Mars. This discussion led to the proposing, selection and then development of the multiplexed immunoassay based Life Marker Chip instrument for the ESA ExoMars rover until the instrument de-selection during the major ExoMars mission revision in 2012. Since then he has transferred to the Space Group in the School of Aerospace, Transport and Manufacturing at Cranfield University where he holds a professorial chair in Astrobiology and Space Biotechnology. He continues a range of activities involving the development of space relevant technology and instrumentation and especially within areas relevant to astrobiology and biosciences. Current applications include the exploitation of CubeSat spacecraft as platforms to perform microgravity and space radiation bioscience experiments and development of early in situ demonstrations of ISRU on Near Earth Asteroids via CubeSat payloads

B4561FC4-AA68-4080-9A82-AC6BDCF9F452.JPEG

Dr. Shawna Pandya

Astronaut

Extreme Medicine Physician

Chief of Space Medicine, ASRI

Dr. Shawna Pandya is a globally-renowned physician, Virgin Galactic Astronaut, aquanaut, and speaker. She is a clinical lecturer at the University of Alberta, emergency and primary care physician, subject matter expert in space medicine, analog and extreme environment researcher, and Director of the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences (IIAS) Space Medicine Group. Dr. Pandya has served as the Principal Investigator and Co-Investigator for numerous space-based biomedical and physical sciences experiments for Virgin Galactic, SpaceX, Polaris Dawn, Axiom, Blue Origin, the International Space Station, and the Jules Undersea Lodge underwater habitat. She co-authored a book chapter on sexuality and reproduction in long-duration spaceflight and has served as a keynote speaker on the topic for media, podcasts and conferences. Her additional publications include a paper on medical guidelines for commercial suborbital spaceflight, and book chapters on space technologies that have benefited terrestrial medicine and psychological resilience in long-duration spaceflight. Dr. Pandya has presented her work at the International Astronautical Congress, the NASA Human Research Program Investigators’ Workshop, the Aerospace Medical Association Conference, the Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers’ Conference, the International Space Development Conference, the World Extreme Medicine Conference, among others. In 2019, Dr Pandya’s career and trajectory were captured at the Ontario Science Center’s “Canadian Women in Space” exhibit, where Dr. Pandya is permanently exhibited alongside Dr. Roberta Bondar, the first Canadian woman in space. She was also named one of the Women’s Executive Network’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada and a Canadian Space Agency Space Ambassador. Dr. Pandya has also been a multi-year finalist for the IIAS’s “Awesome PoSSUM” Award for contributing to the strength and development of that organization, and was the Association of Spaceflight Professionals 2019 “Contributor of the Year.” In 2022, she was named one of the Explorers’ Club’s “50 Explorers Changing the World,” listed as #5 on the 2022 Top 100 Women in Aviation and Aerospace to Follow on LinkedIn, and named to the Destination Canada 2022 Empowerlist. In 2023, she was named to The SustainabilityX Magazine’s “Global 50 Women in Sustainability,” for her work in Social Inclusion

Dr. Jeffrey Alberts

Dr. Jeffrey alberts

Professor of Psychological

& Brain Sciences,

Indiana University Bloomington

Dr. Jeffrey Alberts is a renowned professor of psychological and brain sciences at Indiana University Bloomington. Dr. Albert's research program is dedicated to describing and elucidating functional and mechanistic aspects of the development of species-typical behavior in rodents. Currently, he is studying sensory and motor capabilities in fetal rats as a means of understanding adaptation to prenatal life as well as anticipation of the postnatal environment. Dr. Alberts is analyzing the ultrasonic vocalizations of infant rodents, not just as a form of acoustic communication with the parent, but also as an aspect of early thermal and oxygen homeostasis. Both of these lines of research reflect the combined behavioral and physiological approach often used in his laboratory. Studies of weaning in rodents are another part of the program, for the transition from suckling to independent feeding is a universal developmental process in mammalian ontogenesis. Because parents are a part of a mammal's typical environment, Dr. Albert's lab also is devoted to novel analyses of parental behavior, including biparental care, and parent-offspring interactions. Registrants please note, this speaker is still tentative.

Dr. Christopher Mason

Dr. chris mason

Geneticist, Author, Professor of Genomics, Physiology, & Biophysics,

Weill Cornell Medicine

Dr. Christopher Mason is a geneticist and computational biologist who has been a Principal Investigator and Co-investigator of 11 NASA missions and projects. Mason is Professor of Genomics, Physiology, and Biophysics at Weill Cornell Medicine and the Director of the WorldQuant Initiative for Quantitative Prediction. He also holds affiliate appointments at the New York Genome Center, Yale Law School, and the Consortium for Space Genetics at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Mason is the author of The Next 500 Years: Engineering Life to Reach New Worlds. Registrants please note, this speaker is still tentative.

SimonDube_edited.png

Dr. Simon Dubé

Psychologist / Sex Researcher

Kinsey Institute Research Fellow

ASRI Research Fellow

Research Psychologist, Public Scholar, and Postdoctoral Research Fellow with the Kinsey Institute, Simon Dubé, PhD, specializes in human sexuality, sextech, and Erobotics, the study of human-machine erotic interaction and co-evolution. His work also explores Space Sexology, and how we can integrate sex research into space programs. He received his doctorate in Psychology from Concordia University. He is the communication representative of the International Academy of Sex Research and a co-Chair of the International Congress on Love & Sex with Robots. His work is funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).

Pic Scott Solomon_edited_edited_edited.j

Dr. scott solomon

Professor of Evolutionary Biology,  Science Communications, Ecology

Rice University

Dr. Scott Solomon is a biologist, professor, and science communicator. He teaches ecology, evolutionary biology, and scientific communication as an Associate Teaching Professor at Rice University in Houston. He is currently working on a popular science book for MIT Press about how living in space will affect the human body and mind. His earlier work includes the docu-series ‘Becoming Martian’ (for CuriosityStream 2021), Life 2.0 and NASA’s Unexplained Files, radio broadcasts on NPR and the BBC World Service, as well as webinars and podcasts such as Science Fantastic with Dr. Michio Kaku. His writing appeared in publications such as National Geographic, , MIT Technology Review, NBC News, and Wired. Dr. Solomon is also visiting researcher with the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC and São Paulo State University in Rio Claro, Brazil. His research examines the ecology and evolution of insects, microbes, and humans. member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Sigma Xi Scientific Research Honor Society, and the Society for the Study of Evolution.

Additional Speakers to Be Announced Soon!

Moderators

ERUDITION, DETERMINATION, INSIGHT.

1648909644086_edited.jpg

Dr. Vanessa
farsadaki

Space Health Expert

​President & Managing Partner,

Space Exploration Strategies

With over six years of work experience in various fields related to space, medicine, and research, Dr. Vanessa Farsadaki is a passionate and visionary leader who aims to advance the frontiers of human health and exploration in space. She oversees the development and implementation of cutting-edge space medicine programs and initiatives, and is driven by the mission of enhancing the safety, performance, and well-being of astronauts and space travelers, as well as promoting the benefits of space research and education for humanity. She is the President and Managing Partner of Space Exploration Strategies, a consulting firm that provides strategic advice and solutions to clients in the public, private, non-profit, and government sectors on space medicine and related topics. She leverages her expertise in astronomy, astrophysics, physiology, biology, genetics, finance and business to help clients navigate the opportunities and challenges of the emerging space economy and industry. She has also authored and co-authored multiple publications on space medicine and related topics, and is a certified NSS Space Ambassador, BIS fellow and international keynote speaker.

Screenshot 2024-07-16 131517_edited_edit

ALIRES

ALMON

Ethicist, Cross-Disciplinary Innovator

Founder, Deep Space Predictive

PhD Candidate, Arizona State University

An innovator and orchestrator connecting cross-disciplinary ideas, Alires Almon fuses a deep passion for science’s opportunities with the emerging pathways delivered by technology. She advances the consideration of the social and cultural impacts of technology in equal importance as its innovative impacts. Alires founded Deep Space Predictive Research Group to push the boundaries of social science and behavioral technologies to be utilized in space mission planning and leads an international research team whose goal it is to create new behavioral technology to support that mission. As a co-author of the award-winning response to the DARPA/NASA RFP for the 100 Year Starship Project, Alires focuses her contributions on the psychological impacts of long-term space travel. Through her role as Partner Director of the Artificial Intelligence Institute at the Iliff School of Theology--she is focused on building a trust-based AI ecosystem. The institute facilitates a deeper understanding of the complex integrations and social implications of developing and applying artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies. As well, Alires serves as Director of Innovation for the Mental Health Center of Denver, where she integrates technology into behavioral health applications which engage the healthcare/IT innovation community to create partnerships locally, nationally, and internationally to develop world-class services for the Denver community.

Core Organizers

VISION, INNOVATION, TENACITY.

Alex Headshot 2_edited.jpg

Dr. Alexander Layendecker

Founder & Director, 

Advanced SpaceLife Research Institute (ASRI)

Dr. Alexander Layendecker is the founder and Director of the Advanced SpaceLife Research Institute (ASRI), a Cape Canaveral, Florida-based 501c3 non-profit scientific research organization dedicated to the study of human sexual health and reproduction factors in outer space environments. He is a 2008 graduate of the United States Air Force Academy and served seven years as a USAF space operations officer for spacecraft launch and recovery, before transferring to the USAF Reserve as an HH-60G helicopter pilot for Combat Search and Rescue. Dr. Layendecker completed a Master of Public Health (2013) and PhD in Human Sexuality (2016) from the Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality, where his doctoral research focused on human sexuality and reproduction in off-Earth environments, the history of research in this area, and the research gaps that must be filled in the future in order to make long-term settlement of other worlds a viable possibility. He also holds a Master of Joint Warfare (2024) from the USAF Air University’s Air Command and Staff College, for which his thesis focused on future Space Rescue operations. Dr. Layendecker has been featured as a guest speaker on a multitude of popular podcasts such as The Space Show, The Space Revolution, and Age of Infinite, as well as at various conferences to include SXSW, ISDC, and New Worlds. His work has been featured in numerous media publications and books to include A City on Mars, The Big Book of Mars, and Star Settlers: The Billionaires, Geniuses, and Crazed Visionaries Out to Conquer the Universe.

Dr. Egbert Edelbroek

Dr. Egbert Edelbroek

Entrepreneur, Innovator 

Founder & CEO, SpaceBorn United

Dr. Egbert Edelbroek is an innovator who connects and combines ethical, medical, technical and legal perspectives to researching the conditions for human reproduction in space. He is the founder and CEO of SpaceBorn United, Inc., a Netherlands-based research and development company dedicated to researching the conditions for human reproduction in space. Dr. Edelbroek and his team have spent the last 7 years developing a step by step missions program and biomedical equipment for each mission, making efforts towards human settlements in space sustainable. He believes in pushing humankind beyond the next frontier, because we are explorers, and because humanity needs backup plans. Dr. Edelbroek holds a PhD in Organisational Courage Development from Radbound University, and a Masters degree in Organisational Sciences. He has been featured in media, newspapers, conferences and symposiums across the globe for his groundbreaking work at SpaceBorn United.

Headshot 2024 crop_edited_edited.jpg

Francesca Lee-Rizzi

Bioastronautics Researcher, SpaceBorn United

MSc Space Engineering, Cranfield University

Francesca Lee-Rizzi was named a “bright new talent of the UK Engineering Industry” in 2023, and continues to excel in the Systems Engineering community for her work promoting strategic synergy across large-scale multinational projects. Francesca is a systematic, ambitious and strong analytical researcher who brings a unique multidisciplinary viewpoint. Francesca’s first exposure to the world of research came at the young age of fourteen when she was invited to the House of Lords APPG for Engineering, where she was offered work experience in Spacecraft Research at Cranfield University. Francesca soon accepted an Academic Excellence Scholarship and a Music Scholarship to study BEng Aerospace Engineering with Professional Development at Brunel University London. During her Industrial Placement with GlaxoSmithKline, Francesca was twice awarded the Global Employee Recognition Award. Francesca graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering with Honours in Aerospace Engineering, and a Higher Diploma of Professional Development in Mechanical Engineering. Francesca was scouted for a Systems Engineering Internship at the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), the UK Government’s Fusion Research Institute, which she accepted upon graduation. After ten weeks of a planned nine-month Internship, Francesca was promoted to a full Systems Engineer position. She was soon elected as Physical Disability Officer for the UKAEA, where she leads by example to challenge the misconception that disabled people can’t become successful Engineers and Scientists. Francesca will graduate from her Masters in Astronautics & Space Engineering from Cranfield University in August 2025, and is open to PhD opportunities for Fall 2025. Her doctoral degree will act as a springboard towards a vibrant career focused on developing a united society through innovative Engineering.

Organizing committee

Dr. Carmen Masserian

Dr. Carmen Messerlian

Cullen-David - Cranfield photograph - May 2022 (cropped)

Dr. David Cullen

Cheryl Gallagher

Cheryl Gallagher

Rick-Tumlinson

Rick Tumlinson

Tamar Valdman

Tamar Valdman

Junaid-Mian

Junaid
mian

bottom of page