Available Dates
April 8-12, 2026 | Charlotte, NC
Keynote Address: Beyond Gravity: How Spaceflight Transforms the Human Body
Keynote Address: Beyond Gravity: How Spaceflight Transforms the Human Body
Keynote Address: Beyond Gravity: How Spaceflight Transforms the Human Body
Introducing 2026 Keynote Speaker
Kate Rubins, PhD
Keynote Address: Beyond Gravity: How Spaceflight Transforms the Human Body
What happens to the human body when it leaves Earth? Spaceflight challenges astronauts and affects fundamental biological processes. Microgravity and radiation alter immunity, tissue repair, and cellular biology in ways that provide new insights into physiology. In this keynote, NASA astronaut and scientist Dr. Kate Rubins shares her extraordinary journey, from spacewalking outside the International Space Station to becoming the first person to sequence DNA in microgravity. Her pioneering research demonstrates how pushing biology to its limits in space unlocks discoveries with powerful implications for medicine, innovation, and health on Earth.
Keynote Address: Beyond Gravity: How Spaceflight Transforms the Human Body
What happens to the human body when it leaves Earth? Spaceflight challenges astronauts and affects fundamental biological processes. Microgravity and radiation alter immunity, tissue repair, and cellular biology in ways that provide new insights into physiology. In this keynote, NASA astronaut and scientist Dr. Kate Rubins shares her extraordinary journey, from spacewalking outside the International Space Station to becoming the first person to sequence DNA in microgravity. Her pioneering research demonstrates how pushing biology to its limits in space unlocks discoveries with powerful implications for medicine, innovation, and health on Earth.
Microbiologist. Former NASA Astronaut.
Difference Maker.
About Dr. Kate Rubins
Kate Rubins, PhD, is a NASA astronaut and molecular biologist who became the first person to sequence DNA in space. She has flown two long-duration missions to the International Space Station, logging more than 300 days in orbit and conducting four spacewalks. Prior to joining NASA, Dr. Rubins led research on emerging viruses and human disease at the Whitehead Institute. Her current work bridges space exploration and global health, with a focus on genomics, synthetic biology, and biomedical innovation.
About Dr. Kate Rubins
Kate Rubins, PhD, is a NASA astronaut and molecular biologist who became the first person to sequence DNA in space. She has flown two long-duration missions to the International Space Station, logging more than 300 days in orbit and conducting four spacewalks. Prior to joining NASA, Dr. Rubins led research on emerging viruses and human disease at the Whitehead Institute. Her current work bridges space exploration and global health, with a focus on genomics, synthetic biology, and biomedical innovation.
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