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Crew-3: Propellant

The Propellant Class.
Crew-3 marked a turning point for the BioAstra Fellowship. Composed entirely of MS- and PhD-level researchers and selected at a 10% acceptance rate, the Propellant class set a new benchmark for rigor, selectivity, and research-driven impact in space health science.

Crew-3:

Propelling the Next Generation of Space Innovation

The BioAstra Crew-3 Research Fellowship was a 12-week, part-time program pairing exceptional researchers with leading Principal Investigators to advance high-impact work in human spaceflight.

Fellows operated at the intersection of genomics, aerospace medicine, artificial intelligence, and spaceflight countermeasure development. Each participant was embedded within active research environments designed to produce measurable outputs, including conference submissions and publication-ready manuscripts.

Crew-3 Summer 2025

Igniting Discovery at the Cutting Edge of Space Science

Research Integration: Crew-3 fellows were embedded within active research teams across institutions, working on defined projects aligned with publication and conference pathways. The program emphasized sustained participation in the space health sciences ecosystem and continuity beyond the formal fellowship timeline. 

Principal Investigators included:

  • Afshin Beheshti, PhD
  • Joseph Borg, PhD
  • Diego Galeano, PhD
  • Savi Glowe
  • Begum Mathyk, MD
  • Cem Meydan, PhD
  • Michael A. Schmidt, PhD

Scientific Impact: Crew-3 produced measurable outcomes. Three fellows had abstracts accepted to the American Society for Gravitational and Space Research (ASGSR), with multiple manuscripts entering development.

Accepted abstracts included:

  • Deep Learning Prediction of Small Molecule Countermeasures for Spaceflight-Induced miRNA Dysregulation in Mouse Brain

  • Identifying Operational Barriers to Dual-Use Biomedical Technology Deployment in Extreme Environments for Military Application

  • LexiAgent: An LLM-Assisted AI Agent for Identifying Spaceflight Countermeasures from the Biomedical Literature

Ecosystem Access: Fellows engaged weekly with leaders across aerospace, medicine, genomics, and biotech. Through direct interaction with scientists, founders, and institutional researchers, Crew-3 operated inside the professional networks shaping the future of space health science.

Crew-3 PROPELLANT outcomes

  • Mission-Driven Research

    Crew-3 Fellows executed high-impact projects addressing core challenges in space health and human performance. Research ranged from genomic countermeasure discovery to AI-assisted biomedical intelligence and operational deployment modeling, all aligned with defined scientific milestones.

  • Hands-On Innovation & Publication

    Crew-3 generated tangible research outcomes, including three ASGSR-accepted abstracts and multiple manuscripts in development. Fellows translated advanced computational and biomedical research into conference submissions and publication-ready work extending beyond the fellowship.

  • Expert Mentorship & Professional Growth

    Fellows worked directly with Principal Investigators and engaged ecosystem leaders through structured sessions and workshops. The program strengthened technical depth while accelerating long-term positioning within the space health sciences community.

Elevating the Standard of Space Health Research

Crew-3: Propellant set a new benchmark for the BioAstra Fellowship. This cohort brought together selectivity, advanced expertise, and measurable scientific output. Crew-3 proved that the fellowship produces sustained research impact beyond the program itself.

Crew-3 Research Fellows

  • Haley Brawley, PhD

    ORAU/ORISE Postdoctoral Researcher, USAF 59th MDW Clinical and Operational Space Medicine Innovation Consortium (COSMIC)

  • Lauren Cornell, PhD, MS

    Lead Scientist, Diagnostics and Therapeutics; Defense Health Agency, 59th Medical Wing, Office of the Chief; Scientist CEO/Co-Founder, NovoThelium, LLC

  • Rüçhan Ekren, PhD, MS

    Bioinformatics Data Scientist, Toulouse Institute for Infectious and Inflammatory Diseases by INSERM (Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale)

  • Anupam Gautam, PhD, MS

    Research Associate, University of Tübingen & Max Planck Institute for Biology

  • Erik LeRoy, MS

    Association of Spaceflight Professionals

  • Anna Lewkowicz, MS

    PhD Student, ETH Zurich

  • S. Anand Narayanan, PhD

    Research Professor, Florida State University

  • Elham Samami, PhD, MS

    Postdoctoral Associate, College of Nursing and UF Health Cancer Center, University of Florida

  • Christine Wang, MSE

    NASA Johnson Space Center, Johns Hopkins University

  • Narges Zafari, MS

    PhD Student, Department of Human Genetics, School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh

Join the Mission

BioAstra is more than a research initiative—it’s a movement to transform healthcare through space-driven innovation.
Whether you’re a scientist, an investor, or a visionary, your collaboration can help shape the future of medicine for space and Earth.

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