Shawna Pandya

BSc (Honors Neuroscience) - University of Alberta MSc (Space Studies) - International Space University MD - University of Alberta

Dr. Shawna Pandya is a scientist-astronaut candidate with Project PoSSUM, physician, aquanaut, speaker, martial artist, advanced diver, skydiver, pilot-in-training, VP Immersive Medicine with Luxsonic Technologies and Fellow of the Explorers’ Club. She is also Director of the International Institute of Astronautical Sciences (IIAS)/PoSSUM Space Medicine Group, Chief Instructor of the IIAS/PoSSUM Operational Space Medicine course, Chair of Strategic Directives for the PoSSUM13, clinical lecturer at the University of Alberta, Principal Investigator for the Shad Canada–Blue Origin student microgravity competition, session organizer for ASCEND 2020 and was mostly recently named a medical advisor to Orbital Assembly Construction and United Space Structures. Dr. Pandya is currently completing a fellowship in Wilderness Medicine (Academy of Wilderness Medicine). In 2015, Dr. Pandya was part of the first crew to test a commercial spacesuit in microgravity, and in 2019, she was part of the first IIAS all-female microgravity flight crew. She has previously tested an EVA spacesuit in a gravity offset system in the CSA high bay, and an IVA spacesuit in off-nominal water landing scenarios.

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