Ianik Plante, M.D., Ph.D.
Scientist
ianik.plante-1@nasa.gov

Ianik Plante has a B.Sc. degree in Physics, an M.D. and a Ph.D. in Radiobiology from the University of Sherbrooke (Canada). He received scholarships from the National Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and a supplement from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) for completing his Ph.D. He was awarded the Faculty of Medicine Dean's Award for his Ph.D. work, and was selected for participation in the NASA Space Radiation Summer School in 2007.

In February 2008, Ianik joined the USRA’s Division of Space Life Sciences to work on the Space Radiation Project at the NASA Johnson Space Center. His research focuses on the development of computer models to simulate the interaction of High charge (Z) and Energy (HZE) ions with biological matter, notably HZE tracks simulations and the role of TGFβ in the response of cells to irradiation. These simulations will be used with computational models to assess the effects of space radiation on the central nervous system, tissue degeneration and risk of cancer. They will also contribute to reduced uncertainty about these risks to optimize radiation protection of the crew for lunar and Mars missions.