Aline Martins, PhD, is space technologies director and a biotechnology and proteomics researcher specializing in functional proteomics, translational medicine and biomarker discovery, with a focus on integrating proteomics, metabolomics and lipidomics through advanced mass spectrometry. Her work uses machine learning and multivariate analysis to identify biomarkers for complex diseases such as hepatocellular carcinoma, atherosclerosis and Chagas cardiomyopathy, contributing to earlier detection and improved prognosis. Through international collaborations and interdisciplinary research, she advances personalized medicine by translating data-driven discoveries into practical clinical applications that enhance diagnostics, treatment strategies and patient outcomes.

Alysson Muotri, PhD, is an internationally recognized neuroscientist and stem cell biologist at University of California San Diego whose pioneering research has transformed our understanding of human brain development and neurological disease. He is widely known for his groundbreaking work using induced pluripotent stem cells and human brain organoids. Muotri has led major advances in modeling complex disorders such as autism spectrum disorder, Rett syndrome and other neurodevelopmental conditions. His laboratory was among the first to demonstrate how patient-derived “mini brains” could recreate key features of human neurological disease in vitro, opening entirely new pathways for precision medicine, drug discovery and regenerative therapeutics. Beyond neuroscience, his interdisciplinary work spans genetics, evolution, virology and bioengineering, including influential discoveries related to human-specific retrotransposons and their role in brain complexity and diversity.

In recent years, Muotri has also become a leading figure in space biomedicine through the Sanford Integrated Space Stem Cell Orbital Research (ISSCOR) Center, where his team studies how microgravity, radiation and the space environment aboard the International Space Station (ISS) affect human brain cells and aging. By sending brain organoids into low earth orbit (LEO), his research aims to better understand the biological challenges of long-duration spaceflight while generating insights that may ultimately benefit neurological health on Earth.

Brian Keating is Chancellor’s Distinguished Professor of Physics at the University of California San Diego and an experimental cosmologist who studies the origin and evolution of the Universe. He is Principal Investigator of the Simons Observatory and founder of the BICEP experiment, pioneering efforts to probe the Big Bang through observations of the cosmic microwave background.

Keating is also the creator and host of The INTO THE IMPOSSIBLE Podcast, which reaches an audience of more than 500,000 subscribers and followers. His first guest was the legendary physicist Freeman Dyson, and since then he has interviewed Nobel Prize winners, astronauts, entrepreneurs, and many of the world’s leading scientific thinkers.

He is the author of the bestseller Losing the Nobel Prize, an exploration of discovery, ambition, and the human side of science. It was selected by Amazon’s Editors as a best nonfiction book of all time. His research and public scholarship explore a single question: How did a Universe born in darkness become capable of producing stars, life, consciousness, and ultimately the ability to understand itself?

Bruce Damer, PhD, is an astrobiologist affiliated with the UC Santa Cruz and chief scientist of the BIOTA Institute. His research focuses on how life emerges from non-living matter and how similar processes might occur elsewhere in the universe. With biophysicist David Deamer, PhD, he co-developed the "hot spring hypothesis for an origin of life," which proposes that cycles of hydration and dehydration in volcanic hydrothermal fields drove the formation of protocells and early evolving chemical systems. Damer’s work spans experimental prebiotic chemistry, complexity science and models of emergent biological organization. In parallel, he has contributed to NASA mission concepts and spacecraft architectures designed to support exploration, resource utilization and the long-term expansion of life beyond Earth.

Cameron M. Smith, PhD, employs an evolutionary approach to the challenges of multigenerational space settlement, tackling both cultural and genetic adaptation to new environments, as a faculty member of the School of Earth, Environment and Society at Portland State University, where he has taught for 25 years. He also co-directs the Center for Human Space Exploration at the University of Arizona's Biosphere 2, focusing on Mars surface exploration technologies including pressurized suits. His work has been published in Acta Astronautica, the European Space Agency Advanced Concepts Team Journal and the Journal of Human Performance in Extreme Environments among many others. His books including "The Fact of Evolution" (2009) and "Principles of Space Anthropology: Establishing a Science of Human Space Settlement (2019)."

Catriona Jamieson, MD, PhD, is a world-renowned physician-scientist, stem cell researcher and leader in regenerative medicine at the University of California San Diego whose pioneering discoveries have reshaped the understanding of leukemia stem cells and cancer progression. As director of the Sanford Stem Cell Institute and chief of the Division of Regenerative Medicine, Jamieson has led transformative research revealing how malignant stem cells evade therapy, regenerate and drive relapse in aggressive blood cancers such as chronic myeloid leukemia and acute myeloid leukemia. Her laboratory made seminal contributions to identifying the molecular pathways governing cancer stem cell self-renewal, including groundbreaking work on RNA editing enzymes such as ADAR1 and inflammatory signaling mechanisms that fuel leukemia evolution and therapeutic resistance. Through an exceptional integration of clinical medicine, genomics, stem cell biology and translational therapeutics, Jamieson has helped pioneer targeted strategies aimed at selectively eliminating cancer stem cells while preserving healthy blood-forming cells, opening new avenues for precision oncology and regenerative medicine.

In addition to her landmark cancer research, Jamieson has contributed to advancing stem cell science in space through collaboration with the ISS, exploring how microgravity affects stem cell behavior and regenerative processes. This work supports the development of next-generation therapies for aging-related diseases, cancer and long-duration human spaceflight.

Danica Vallone is a multidisciplinary leader whose career bridges film production, engineering, biotech and aerospace. She is the cofounder and president of Making Space Agency, which delivers design, engineering and prototyping services to major aerospace clients like NASA and leading entertainment companies such as Disney and Netflix. Beyond her firm, she plays key roles in global initiatives, including serving as a Brain Trust member at XPRIZE, creative director at Global Effects, designer-in-residence at UC San Diego’s Design Lab and a committee member of the National Space Society. She also contributes to the NASA-supported Haughton-Mars Project and the WORLD.MINDS community. Through her diverse work, Vallone advocates for the continued importance of human presence in space and innovation across industries.

Erik Antonsen, MD, PhD, is a physician-engineer specializing in space medicine, with a career spanning academia, industry and government. He serves as an associate physician at Massachusetts General Hospital, assistant professor at Harvard Medical School and lecturer at MIT. He holds leadership roles as president of OSMED and treasurer and chief technology officer of Advancing Frontiers. At NASA, he led research and risk management efforts for astronaut health. He previously held tenured faculty positions at Baylor College of Medicine. With a background in aerospace engineering and emergency medicine, his work focuses on systems medicine, AI in healthcare and the design of medical and risk assessment systems for human spaceflight. He is co-editor of the textbook "Systems Medicine for Human Spaceflight."

Hillary Coe is the chief design and marketing officer at Vast. She is an Emmy Award-winning design leader with over 20 years of experience leading innovative design for Google, Apple and SpaceX, where she pioneered design for SpaceX’s human spaceflight program under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. Coe was the first director of design at SpaceX, leading the visual strategy and narrative for a new era of human spaceflight while also focusing on the astronaut experience for both current and future spacecraft.

Coe is also a commercial pilot and instructor, astronaut candidate, drag racing record holder and advocate for young women and men entering STEM fields. Her work includes collaborating with the U.S. Department of Education on the National STEM Festival and advising XPRIZE on incentivizing radical breakthroughs to advance humanity.

Jessica Pham is a mission space specialist focused on cancer therapies aboard the ISS. She works at the cutting edge of medicine and space exploration using the unique microgravity environment to study how cancer cells grow, adapt and respond to treatments. By preparing experiments that are impossible on Earth, she helps uncover new insights into tumor behavior and drug effectiveness, advancing the development of more precise and effective cancer therapies. Her work not only supports astronaut health on long-duration missions but also translates into breakthroughs that can improve cancer care for patients back on Earth.

Joel C. Sercel, founder and CEO of Trans Astronautica Corporation. He is a proven space technology pioneer, team leader and talent magnet. He runs an agile company where young engineers are inspired and empowered to build, test, break, and bust through technical limits and mature innovations at breakneck speed. His technical expertise spans space mission design, space propulsion, satellite design, architectural design, and systems engineering. He is also a certified KAI Practitioner (the psychology of creativity) and an expert in practical methods of innovation. Joel has been awarded more of NASA’s prestigious Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) funding than anyone else. His expertise and leadership have been sought by world class organizations including NASA, Blue Origin, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, the US intelligence community, and the US Air Force. Joel’s PhD is from Caltech in plasma physics and space propulsion. He spent 14 years at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory where he served in nearly all of the technical roles and conceived the first ion propulsion system used in deep space missions to a comet and asteroids Ceres and Vesta. Joel served as the founding CTO for Momentus, a space company currently going public through a SPAC, before returning to TransAstra to fulfill his lifelong dream of building the tech that will enable a thriving in-space economy and offer unbound potential for future generations. 

Luisa Coelho is a research associate and mission specialist at ISSCOR. She has contributed to five mission payloads aboard the ISS. She investigates how space-associated stressors shape human brain biology using immunocompetent cortical organoids. Her current work focuses on how microgravity modulates neuroimmune interactions and how inflammatory responses impact neuronal integrity during spaceflight and readaptation to Earth. 

Meenakshi Wadhwa joined as the 12th director of Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego in October 2025, and holds the Charles F. Kennel Director’s Endowed Chair. She also serves as UC San Diego’s Vice Chancellor for Marine Sciences and Dean of the School of Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. 

Prior to joining UC San Diego, Wadhwa served as director of the School of Earth and Space Exploration (SESE) at Arizona State University (ASU) from 2019-2025, overseeing an active research program, graduate and undergraduate educational programs in geosciences, biogeosciences, astrobiology, oceanography, planetary sciences, astronomy, astrophysics, cosmology, engineering for exploration, and science education. She also held appointments as Regents Professor at ASU, distinguished visiting scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., and NASA's principal scientist for the Mars Sample Return program, a collaboration between NASA and the European Space Agency to bring samples of Mars to Earth for the first time.

Natália Chermont, PhD, is a postdoctoral researcher at ISSCOR, under the supervision of Alysson Muotri, PhD. Her work leverages human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived brain organoids and assembloids to dissect the mechanisms underlying Alzheimer’s disease. Combining multi-omics with spaceflight-based platforms, she investigates how microgravity reshapes neural function and reveals disease-associated processes not accessible on Earth.