Three young scientists earn space research postdoctoral fellowships

Oct
06
2011

The National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI) selected three young scientists to be a part of its 2011-2013 class of postdoctoral fellows. The trio will conduct research to help protect astronaut health.

The two-year fellowship program offers participants the opportunity to manage their own space-related biomedical research project while continuing to learn from a faculty mentor. Each fellow is also placed on one of NSBRI’s seven research teams, where they interact with experienced researchers and participate in NSBRI and NASA meetings.

“This class of bright young scientists will assist NSBRI in its efforts to develop solutions to the adverse health effects of spaceflight and to improve health care on Earth,” said Dr. Jeffrey P. Sutton, NSBRI director. “As members of NSBRI research teams, the fellows will work with leading scientists in their fields and have unique opportunities for human spaceflight research, setting the stage for productive careers and important scientific contributions.”

The 2011-2013 NSBRI fellows, their institutions, teams and mentors are:

Catherine Davis, Ph.D., Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Neurobehavioral and Psychosocial Factors Team
Mentor: Robert Hienz, Ph.D.
Liliana Mellor, Ph.D., Boise State University
Musculoskeletal Alterations Team
Mentor: Julia Oxford, Ph.D.
Guillaume Vignaux, Ph.D., Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Musculoskeletal Alterations Team
Mentor: Florent Elefteriou, Ph.D.

Davis is studying the effects of space radiation on the central nervous system. Vignaux’s project is looking at roles that the vestibular and sympathetic nervous systems have in bone loss during spaceflight. Mellor’s project seeks to determine if living in microgravity can increase the chances of astronauts developing early osteoarthritis.

Participants receive a $50,000 stipend per year and additional funds to cover health insurance and travel to NSBRI-related meetings. Fellows are required to attend the Summer Bioastronautics Institute at NSBRI’s new headquarters and demonstration laboratories in the BioScience Research Collaborative in Houston. This summer program emphasizes essential skills needed for a successful research career and connects the trainees with the NSBRI and NASA scientific communities.

NSBRI solicits postdoctoral fellowship applications annually. Applicants submit research project proposals to investigate a spaceflight-related health risk or to develop a technology needed to enable research or medical care in space. The project must be overseen by an experienced mentor and be carried out at a U.S. laboratory. Applications are reviewed for scientific and technical merit by an independent review panel and by NSBRI management to ensure relevance to the Institute’s research program goals. Also, a competitive third-year extension of the fellowship is available. Information about NSBRI’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program is available at www.nsbri.org/postdocs.

Funded by NASA, NSBRI studies the health risks related to long-duration spaceflight with peer-reviewed science, technology and education projects at about 60 institutions across the United States. NSBRI’s science and technology projects address bone and muscle loss, cardiovascular changes, balance and orientation, radiation exposure, neurobehavioral and psychosocial factors, remote medical care and related technologies, and habitability and performance issues such as sleep cycles and lunar dust exposure. Research findings also impact the understanding and treatment of similar medical conditions experienced on Earth.

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Brad Thomas
NSBRI
713-798-7595
rbthomas@bcm.edu