Michael A. Schmidt, Ph.D.
CEO & Chief Scientific Officer │ Sovaris Aerospace
Co-Chair, Advanced Pattern Analysis & Countermeasures Group
Dr. Michael A. Schmidt is among those leading the advancement of precision medicine in human spaceflight. His clinical and research work is focused on multi-scale analytics derived from genomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and microbiomics. This includes early involvement in the NASA Twins Study and work with the Weill Cornell Medicine team on the study’s post-mission analytics (translation of Twins data to clinical methods).
Dr. Schmidt has three decades of experience working with elite performers in extreme environments, which includes leading the molecular profiling and countermeasure efforts for humans ranging from wilderness medicine, S.W.A.T., high altitude ascent, military Special Forces, NFL, NBA, Olympic athletes, cycling, and motor sports (Le Mans, NASCAR), which includes collaborations with the Mayo Clinic, West Point, NASA, and others. Dr. Schmidt also leads the Sovaris Aerospace research collaboration, as a member of the FAA Center of Excellence for Commercial Space Transportation. Dr. Schmidt is a Chair in the Life Sciences and Biomedical Engineering Branch of the Aerospace Medical Association and is a member of the Metabolomics Quality Assurance and Quality Control Consortium (NIH). He is the former Course Director of Clinical Genomics, Proteomics, & Metabolomics at George Washington University. He is also a founding member of the Precision Medicine & Pharmacometabolomics Task Group of the Metabolomics Society. Recent publications include “Pharmacogenomics in Spaceflight” (Springer Nature), “Personalized Medicine in Human Spaceflight” (Springer, Metabolomics), and “Incorporation of Omics Analyses into Artificial Gravity Research for Space Exploration Countermeasure Development.” (Springer, Metabolomics).
Dr. Schmidt did his doctoral (Ph.D.) research in Molecular Medicine and Biochemistry within the Life Sciences Division at NASA Ames Research Center, under the Chief Medical Officer. This included molecular and physiologic assessment of humans on NASA’s 20G long-radius human centrifuge, during 22 hours of continuous centrifugation. This work also included a fellowship at NASA’s Psychophysiology Research Laboratory. He received a second Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Lancaster University, focused on molecular modifiers of neuroplasticity, with applications directed to human spaceflight and military special operations radiation countermeasure development. He has done additional studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (data and models; artificial neural networks).