Lori Ploutz-Snyder, Ph.D.
Senior Scientist
lori.ploutz-snyder-1@nasa.gov

Dr. Ploutz-Snyder earned her PhD in Physiology from Ohio University in 1994. She spent 3 years of her doctoral education with Space Life Sciences at Kennedy Space Center and worked with the late Gary Dudley and Victor Convertino. At KSC she worked on the development of the unilateral lower limb suspension (ULLS) model as a flight analog for the study of muscle as well as resistance exercise countermeasures for muscle atrophy. She did an NIH post-doctoral fellowship in physiology and radiology at Michigan State University under the supervision of Ronald Meyer and developed magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy protocols to apply to human exercise physiology studies. Dr. Ploutz-Snyder came to USRA from a faculty position as Professor and Chair of Exercise Science at Syracuse University. While at SU, Dr. Ploutz-Snyder continued her work on the prevention and rehabilitation of muscle function following prolonged periods of disuse. Most recently she has completed Department of Defense (DOD) sponsored research related to dehydration and skeletal muscle. She has published more than 70 peer-reviewed journal articles in leading journals. She will serve as the lab manager for exercise physiology and countermeasure development at Johnson Space Center.