Keynote Speaker—Jessica Meir, PhD

Meet Our Closing Keynote Speaker 

Jessica Meir, PhD
NASA Astronaut

Keynote Presentation: Experimenting in Microgravity: Full Circle for a Physiologist Turned Astronaut
Location: Terrace Theater, Long Beach Convention Center
Date: Sunday, April 7, 2024, 11:30 a.m. PDT

With a career that has taken her from the depths of the ocean to the depths of space, Jessica Meir, PhD, has covered more ground than perhaps any other comparative physiologist. As an astronaut working for NASA, she served as flight engineer on a 205-day spaceflight expedition from September 25, 2019, to April 17, 2020. During the expedition, Meir and her crewmates conducted experiments in biology, Earth science, human research, physical sciences and technology development. She also conducted the first three all-female spacewalks. 

Meir attended Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, as an undergraduate before receiving a master's degree in space studies from International Space University in Strasbourg, France. She earned a PhD in marine biology from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, where she studied diving physiology of marine mammals and birds. Her postdoctoral work was conducted at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. In 2020, Meir was named one of Time magazine’s most influential people.

Meir serves as the assistant to the chief astronaut for Commercial Crew (SpaceX) and deputy for the Flight Integration Division.

Don’t miss Meir, who will speak at 11:30 a.m. PDT on Sunday, April 7, 2024, at the closing session of the 2024 American Physiology Summit.