Bioastronautics and Fundamental Space Biology (BFSB)
Postdoctoral Research Program
From 2003 to 2006, the Universities Space Research Association's Division of Space Life Sciences (DSLS), under the direction of NASA’s Bioastronautics and Fundamental Space Biology Divisions, administered a postdoctoral research program which sought to expand microgravity research and educational opportunities by taking a proactive approach of training the next generation of space life sciences investigators.
The Bioastronautics and Fundamental Space Biology (BFSB) Postdoctoral Research Program provided advanced training and practical research experience to investigators early in their professional careers. Through a national competition, eight outstanding young scientists were selected to receive two-year research appointments based upon their academic achievements, the quality and relevance of their research proposal and their potential in space-related life sciences. While the two-year appointments have ended, the program alumni continue to progress in their careers; in NASA research positions, in postdoctoral fellowships, as university faculty, or in a variety of research laboratory positions.
Program Alumni
Rima B. Franklin, Ph.D.
Rima B. Franklin held a BFSB Postdoctoral appointment with USRA’s Division of Space Life Sciences from 2004 to 2006. During her appointment, Dr. Franklin worked with Dr. Aaron Mills in the Space Life Sciences Laboratory at Kennedy Space Center and the primary goal of her research was increasing the fundamental understanding of microbial communities, their composition and their functional stability in closed systems.
Dr. Franklin is now an Assistant Professor at Virginia Commonwealth University in the Department of Biology. Her research interests include spatial patterns in microbial communities; microbial diversity and redundancy, and their relationship to ecosystem function in a range of aquatic and terrestrial habitats; and the application of traditional ecological theories and models to study microbial communities.
John D. Holtzclaw, Ph.D.
John D. Holtzclaw held a BFSB Postdoctoral appointment with USRA’s Division of Space Life Sciences from 2004 to 2006. During his appointment, Dr. Holtzclaw worked with Dr. Clarence Sams of NASA’s Cellular and Molecular Research Laboratories at Johnson Space Center researching T-cell activation in a microgravity environment.
Dr. Holtzclaw is now an instructor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in the department of Physiology and Biophysics. The focus of Dr. Holtzclaw’s current research centers on understanding how mechanical forces modulate cell behavior at the cellular and subcellular level, which is called mechanotransduction.
Katharine Forth McCall, Ph.D.
Katharine E. Forth received her B.Sc. in Biology from the University of Bristol, UK, her M.Sc. in Applied Human Sciences from St. Mary’s College, University of Surrey, UK, and her Ph.D in Motor Control from the University of Houston. Katey’s doctoral work in the Laboratory of Integrated Physiology involved studying the context-specific nature of neuromuscular responses to foot stimulation, including contexts of unloading, postural stability and background contraction levels.
Dr. Forth McCall’s Postdoctoral appointment with USRA’s Division of Space Life Sciences has been extended into a third year and she continues her research with Dr. William Paloski of the neurosciences laboratory at Johnson Space Center. Her research focuses on the neuromuscular responses to a variety of mechanical stimulations and their integration into postural control strategies.
Patrick P. McCue, Ph.D.
Patrick McCue held a BFSB Postdoctoral appointment with USRA’s Division of Space Life Sciences from 2004 –2006. During his NASA Postdoctoral appointment, Dr. McCue worked with Dr. Viktor Stolc, the Branch Chief of the NASA Ames Genome Research Facility at Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California. His research focused on the effect of space radiation on physiology using the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model organism to profile for genes affecting UV, X- and Gamma radiation sensitivity and the effects of certain oxidative stress antagonists as radiation countermeasures.
Following the completion of his appointment, Dr. McCue was selected for a Director's Fellowship with the National Center of Complementary and Alternative Medicine, a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). He is now conducting research on the effects of chemical compounds from botanical extracts on cancer cell death under the leadership of James Phang, M.D., in the Laboratory of Comparative Carcinogenesis at the National Cancer Institute.
Jarah A. Meador, Ph.D.
Jarah A. Meador held a BFSB Postdoctoral appointment with USRA’s Division of Space Life Sciences from 2004 to 2006. During her appointment, Dr. Meador worked with Dr. Honglu Wu of NASA’s Radiation Biodosimetry Laboratory at Johnson Space Center. Her research focused on space radiation, DNA damage and repair, nutrient conditions, and their combined effects on the health of astronauts.
Dr. Meador is now a postdoctoral research scientist with Columbia University's Center for Radiological Research. She is working in Dr. Adayabalam Balajee’s laboratory exploring the response of human cells to low doses of ionizing radiation. More specifically, they are researching the signal transduction pathways that may be activated by exposure to low doses of radiation.
Jonathan A. Phillips, Ph.D.
Jonathan Phillips held a BFSB Postdoctoral appointment with USRA’s Division of Space Life Sciences from 2004 to 2006. During his appointment, Dr. Phillips collaborated with Drs. Eduardo Almeda and Ruth Globus of NASA’s Mechanobiology Research group at NASA’s Ames Research Center (ARC) in Moffett Field, California. His research focused on the influence of the ß1 integrin and its related signaling pathways on bone tissue remodeling.
Dr. Phillips is now a Senior Scientist at Boehringer-Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals in the mechanistic toxicology group. He is developing in vitro models to determine mechanisms of toxicity for experimental drug compounds.
Don L. Tucker, Ph.D.
Don L. Tucker held a BFSB Postdoctoral appointment with USRA’s Division of Space Life Sciences from 2004 to 2006. During his appointment, Dr. Tucker studied E. coli in a simulated space environment with Dr. Duane Pierson in the NASA JSC Microbiology Department. His research helped to determine if any changes in bacterial physiology, virulence, or stress resistances occur that could be detrimental to astronauts during a long-term space mission. Dr. Tucker is now a research scientist at SeqWright Inc., a leading genomic services company.
Liz Warren, Ph.D.
Dr. Liz Warren held a BFSB Postdoctoral appointment with USRA’s Division of Space Life Sciences from 2004 to 2006. During her appointment, at Johnson Space Center’s Neurosciences Laboratory, Dr. Warren examined the effects of training modality on adaptive generalization. Her work supported that of Dr. Jacob Bloomberg’s development of an in-flight sensorimotor training regimen to facilitate the recovery of locomotor function after long-duration spaceflight.
Currently, Dr. Warren is the Deputy Project Scientist for the Artificial Gravity Pilot Study as part of NASA’s Flight Analogs / Bed Rest Research Project. This project provides NASA with a ground based research platform to complement space research. By mimicking the conditions of weightlessness on the human body here on Earth, NASA can test and refine countermeasure efficacy on the ground before implementation in space. Artificial Gravity is a multi-system countermeasure that utilizes a human centrifuge to produce a gravitational force to mitigate the deconditioning associated with space flight.
Last updated
August 17, 2007