2026 Student Board

Anna Wadhwa is an MD-PhD student at Harvard Medical School and MIT AeroAstro in the Aerospace Physiology Lab (APL). She received her BS in Biochemistry from the New Jersey Institute of Technology in 2021, summa cum laude. Her prior experience spans various NASA centers, including: immune health at Johnson Space Center, fatigue countermeasures at Ames Research Center, and satellite algorithm development with Goddard Institute for Space Studies. Since starting at Harvard, she has been studying the use of artificial gravity for bone health with the NASA/JAXA MHU-8 mission. Now at MIT, she is also working to expand diagnostic capabilities in space with the SpaceX FRAM2 SpaceXray mission. She hopes to study physiological risks and develop countermeasures for astronaut health in lunar/Martian environments. Outside the lab, Anna enjoys running, hiking, skiing, and annoying her cat Laika.

Simone Lilavois is an undergraduate physics student at Amherst College interested in using astronomical data to investigate fundamental questions in particle physics and cosmology. She is currently conducting theoretical research at the Center for Computational Astrophysics at the Flatiron Institute, where she uses numerical simulations to investigate the long-term dynamical evolution of multi-planetary systems. She also works with absolute and relative astrometry, as well as radial velocity data, to constrain the orbits and masses of binary star systems within 20 parsecs. Lastly, she is an intern with the Space Agriculture Laboratory Analysis Database (SALAD), where she uses BioSim, a simulation of a Bioregenerative Life Support System, to establish baseline plant production metrics for future Moon and Mars missions. Simone plans to pursue a Ph.D. in astrophysics and a career in academia.

McKenna is a graduate student pursuing a Master’s degree in Cell and Molecular Biology. She has completed two Bachelor’s degrees in Astronomy & Astrophysics and Astrobiology. McKenna is a 2024 Astronaut Scholar with the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation and her research focused on the use of bacteria derived from cultures taken from the International Space Station to determine their potential use for plant growth-promotion in simulated microgravity.

Tao Sheng is a medical student at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He received his B.S. in Computational Biology from the University of Pittsburgh, and as a junior, trained as a research associate in the NASA Ames Space Life Sciences Training Program. After graduating, he conducted deep learning-based bone lesion detection research at the NIH as an IRTA fellow. At Pitt, he is pursuing his interests in personalized medicine and machine learning across two projects: studying kaempferol as a hepatoprotective countermeasure for spaceflight and applying machine learning to cardio-oncology outcomes research. He aims to pursue a career integrating aerospace medicine with internal and preventive medicine. Outside of school, Tao enjoys wildlife photography around western Pennsylvania, endurance running, and chess.

Sage is a recent Florida Gulf Coast University graduate of '24 & '26 where she earned two Bachelor’s degrees in Biology with a Chemistry Minor & Clinical Laboratory Science. Her research, under Neuroscientist Dr. Sherri Emer, focuses on the physiological effects of microgravity and spaceflight on human sensory systems using immunohistochemistry. Sage has worked with recent Rodent Research (RR) specimens from the International Space Station through NASA Space Biology Biospecimen Sharing Program and archived RR specimens through NASA Ames Life Sciences Data Archive. She has just completed her clinical training rotations and will become ASCP MLS certified this Summer 2026. She plans to continue her studies to become a physician scientist. Outside the lab, Sage enjoys reading, expressing herself through art, and playing with her cats, Venus, Mercury, Nova, and Pluto.

Nick is a Ph.D Candidate for Environmental and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, and has a B.S. in Physics and Astronomy from Stony Brook University. His interests include the mechanisms that plants use to interact with their physical environment and how these evolved mechanisms can be integrated with new technologies to overcome the challenges of growing crops during spaceflight. He is a NASA Space Technology Graduate Research Fellow, developing synthetic substrates that can be used as a tool for general plant biology research and as a lightweight and multipurpose substrate for crop production in space environments.

Justin Wheeler is a PhD student in Aerospace Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. His research is related to novel technology addressing issues with in-space propellant refueling. He is a recipient of the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP) and the Georgia Tech President's fellowship awards. Justin is serving as the ASGSR Event Coordinator, assisting with the planning of student-focused events at the annual ASGSR conference, as well as an event in Washington DC advocating for funding in the space research community. Outside of work, he is an avid swimmer, weightlifter, and runner.

Isaiah Taylor recently earned his PhD in Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology at Stony Brook University. Isaiah currently works in the Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation conducting research for a NASA grant. This grant's main goals are to elucidate the effects of microgravity on osteoblast-osteoclast communication and determine the effects of differential gravity using the hindlimb suspension model. Previously, Isaiah conducted research at NIH to gain experience in the field of biochemistry and cancer, which helps with his current project. Isaiah specializes in cell culture of primary and secondary cells and has worked in the field of biochemistry, cancer, and orthopaedics. Isaiah is an exemplary and passionate researcher with an abiding interest in pursuing a career in the space and orthopedics industry. In his free time, Isaiah likes to workout, read, cook and play with his cat Zoe.

Ruth Singh is a PhD student in the Blaber lab at RPI. She has completed here Bachelor's in Physics and a Diploma in Astronomy and Astrophysics from University of Mumbai, India. She is also a Board of Trustee at 'Project Encephalon' a neuroscience organization in India. She is currently working as a Research Intern at Mason Lab analysing single cell omics datasets from spaceflight missions.