BS. Electrical Engineering, Drexel University

MS. Electrical Engineering, Drexel University

PhD. Biomedical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Dr. Shelhamer started at Johns Hopkins as a postdoctoral fellow in 1990. At MIT, he worked on sensorimotor physiology and modeling, including the study of astronaut adaptation to space flight. He then came to Johns Hopkins where he continued the study of sensorimotor adaptation with an emphasis on the vestibular and oculomotor systems. He has applied nonlinear dynamical analysis to the control of eye movements, including investigations of the functional implications of fractal activity in physiological behavior. In parallel with these activities, he has had support from NASA to study sensorimotor adaptation to space flight, amassing a fair amount of parabolic flight (“weightless”) experience in the process. He also serves as an advisor to the commercial spaceflight industry on the research potential of suborbital space flight. Dr. Shelhamer is the author of Nonlinear Dynamics in Physiology: A State-Space Approach, has published over 70 scientific papers, and has had research support from NIH, NSF, NASA, NSBRI, and the Whitaker Foundation. From 2013 to 2016, he served as NASA’s Chief Scientist for human research at the Johnson Space Center.

Assistant Professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine

Dr. Queale is a board-certified internal medicine physician specializing in primary care. His passion is helping his patients maintain high levels of functional capacity throughout their lifespan while simultaneously mitigating the risk of acute injuries and illnesses requiring hospital care. He has been in private practice for over 20 years providing primary care services to high performing individual of all ages. He is also the founder of Negentex Systems Medicine, an organization created to design, implement and scale a new systems-based primary care model. His goal is to help co-create a new technology-enabled, individualized, longitudinal model of care to improve multiscale system resilience and mitigate the risk of adverse medical events for high performing individuals on Earth and in space.

Senior Research Associate at Case Western Reserve University

Dr. Padilla is an astrophysicist working in bioastronautics, risk-informed decision making, and the development of Bayesian networks built on directed acyclic graphs. His work aims to establish a quantitative framework that yields mission-risk estimates from physiological and operational data, guiding countermeasures and research priorities for exploration missions. Other areas of interest include human performance in extreme environments, tools that support crew health and performance, and translating these methods to medicine on Earth.

Master’s Student

Shreyansh is a graduate student at Johns Hopkins University in the Department of Engineering Management, pursuing a technical track in Systems Engineering. His academic background is in Aerospace Engineering, with research and professional experience spanning human spaceflight systems, unmanned aerial vehicles, and high-altitude platform development. Before joining Johns Hopkins, he contributed to India’s Gaganyaan human spaceflight mission at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), focusing on crew safety and environmental monitoring systems. He also engineered a stratospheric airship for meteorological operations, aimed at improving communication and mapping capabilities. His current research interests center on human spaceflight operations, life-support systems, and the intersection of systems engineering and astrobiology.

Master’s Student

Anvesha is a graduate student at Johns Hopkins University pursuing a M.S. in Biotechnology. Her academic interests lie at the intersection of neurophysiology, astrobiology, and translational biotechnology, with a particular focus on improving brain health in astronauts during spaceflight.

Undergraduate Student

Katie is a senior at Johns Hopkins University pursuing a degree in Molecular & Cellular Biology. Her research interests include the effects of microgravity on the vestibular system and human physiology in extreme environments. She hopes to one day work at the intersection of emergency and aerospace medicine as a flight surgeon, contributing to the safety and well-being of astronauts in future space missions. Outside of the lab, she is an EMT and patroller with the National Ski Patrol. In her free time, she is learning how to bake sourdough bread.

Undergraduate Student

Arya is a sophomore at Johns Hopkins University pursuing dual degrees in Electrical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering. With research experience spanning NASA and the UMD Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology, he specializes in applying AI/ML to biomedical, aerospace, and communication challenges. He has contributed to projects ranging from satellite scheduling and orbital analysis to DNA sequencing and clinical AR/VR systems for patient recovery. Fluent in multiple languages and skilled across programming, laboratory, and engineering tools, he is passionate about advancing human spaceflight, biomedical technology, and sustainable energy. In his free time, he enjoys ice skating, reading, and string craft.

Research Technician

Kristi graduated from Vanderbilt University with a degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering and minor in Mathematics. She is currently working at Northrop Grumman as an embedded systems engineer in the Space sector. Her main research interest is in Behavioral and Cognitive Health.

Student Researcher

Elia is a high school senior at the Bryn Mawr School for Girls. She is the creator and leader of the Engineering club at Bryn Mawr. Elia aims to receive her undergraduate degree in aerospace engineering. She hopes to serve in the Navy as a jet pilot and later on work as an aerospace engineer. In her free time, she enjoys playing soccer, ice hockey, weight lifting, and writing poetry.

Student Researcher

William is a high school sophomore at the Gilman School. His primary interest lies in robotics, programming, and where STEM meets biology. He hopes to get his undergraduate degree surrounding mechatronics and become an engineer in the future. In his free time, he does guitar, waterpolo, squash, and captains FTC Team 23741 Metal Pipe.