Lab Personnel

Lonnie (MD, PhD) completed her MD from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark in 2007 and has worked in Emergency Medicine and Intensive Care. Dr. Petersen received her PhD in Gravitational Physiology and Space Medicine in 2016. Currently Charles Stark Draper Professor, Assistant Professor at MIT of Aeronautics and Astronautics and supported by NASA, Department of Defense, and the Novo Nordic Foundation as well as being a Sapera Aude Fellow (National Research Council). Her research is rooted in cardiovascular, cerebral and exercise physiology always with an integrative physiology approach. 

Fabian is a working on optimizing countermeasures for spaceflight with interests in cardiovascular and pulmonary physiology in extreme underwater, microgravity, altitude, and isolation environments. As part of his doctoral work, he investigated the effects of countermeasure exercise training in long-term isolation spaceflight analogs on physical and cognitive performance and conducted applied research on human physiology and performance underwater. He received his Ph.D. with honors from the German Sport University Cologne in 2022.

Experienced Systems and Hardware Engineer with a demonstrated history of working in the Defense & Space industry, as well as the Biomedical & Biomechanical industry. Skilled in Hardware Engineering, Analytical Skills, Leadership, and Translation. Well-trained professional and academic, graduated and currently pursuing and advanced degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. A veteran of the military and law enforcement sectors.

Michael "T-Rex" Tibbs is a Major in the USAF and working on his PhD in the APL. He completed his B.S. degree in astronautical engineering at the USAF Academy and holds an M.S. degree in flight test engineering from the USAF Test Pilot School. Before joining AFL and MIT, Michael served as an exchange officer to the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) at Gifu Air Base, Japan, flying the F-2, F-15J, and T-4. Michael's interests lie at the intersection of aerospace physiology, autonomy, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. His thesis work includes modeling flight intolerance conditions for trauma patients on autonomous aircraft for Casualty Evacuation (CASEVAC) applications. He is also interested in bioastronautics and collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) research.

Michael is also a father of three and enjoys spending time with his family, scuba diving, track & field, and video games.

Bria is a PhD student in the APL. She received her B.S. in Nutritional Science from Syracuse University and M.S. in Exercise Physiology and Nutrition from California State University, Long Beach. Bria has previously worked as a research physiologist in the biomedical and defense industries. Her research interests are geared toward integrating concepts in physiology, nutrition, metabolism, and biosensor technology development to applications in human performance and medicine in extreme environments.

Visiting student from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, currently doing research for his MS thesis in Aerospace Engineering. He is interested in the overlap between engineering aspects and human physiology in space, and has previous experience designing exercise equipment for the International Space Station.

Danny is a first-year graduate student in MIT AeroAstro with a focus in Humans in Aerospace. She received her B.S. in aerospace and mechanical engineering from UC Davis in 2023. Her prior research experience includes turbulent flow physics, computer vision and thermal payload hardware development for cubesats, along with helmet-mounted display technology for underwater astronaut training at NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Lab (NBL). Her current research interests include developing countermeasures for astronaut safety during long duration spaceflight.

Ciarra is a graduate student in the MIT AeroAstro department with a focus in Human-System Collaboration. She received her B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2023. Her prior research experience includes human performance, physiological signals, and wearable device evaluation. Her current research interests include developing countermeasures and hardware to aid physiological changes during long duration space missions.

Current Masters student pursuing an advanced degree in aerospace engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Research area is Humans in Space, with a current focus on lower body negative pressure suit design and testing.

Bachelor's degree obtained from the University of California, San Diego in Bioengineering:

Biotechnology. Past work history in Conservation Technology, Emergency Medicine, and Biological Research.

Interests and hobbies include surfing, bouldering, crochetting, chess, and solo-travelling.

Undergraduate researcher focused on assisting with the development of a Neural Network to better integrate human physiological signals into our deep learning tool for motion prediction. Ultimately this work will increase fluency in human-hardware interaction.  

Undergraduate researcher with a focus in bioengineering and medical devices. Currently working on projects with a random positioning machine (RPM) to simulate zero and partial gravity. Her previous work includes informatics for cancer research and drug development. In her free time, she enjoys playing music, cooking, playing tennis, and reading.  

Aerospace Engineering student and undergraduate researcher with a focus in Humans in Space. She is currently working on countermeasure devices to aid in long duration human spaceflight, specifically a lower body negative pressure (LBNP) suit. Previous work includes payload testing, rocket propulsion development, and designing space mission concepts. Hobbies and interests include martial arts, reading, and teaching.  

Undergraduate researcher studying mechanical engineering, focusing on learning machines and controls. Currently, he is working on integrating physiological data and hardware for motion prediction. He has previously conducted research on fusion energy at the PSFC at MIT and is affiliated with the MIT Sports Lab. In his free time, he plays water polo for MIT.

Undergraduate researcher studying aerospace engineering with an interest in human factors in space exploration. Currently, she is working on hardware prototyping for an exoskeleton arm. She has previously conducted research in the area of autonomous drone control. In her free time, she vaults for the MIT Track & Field team.

Hara is an incoming third-year student at MIT studying Computer Science and Engineering. She is currently doing undergraduate research at APL on time-series forecasting to predict future physiological conditions for casualty evacuation paths, while previous experiences at MIT and abroad include sustainable development and machine learning tasks for autonomous machine operation. In her free time, she enjoys swimming, baking, and playing tennis.