Founding Director, Center for Space Medicine Research, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School
Dr. Aleksandra Stankovic is the Founding Director of the Center for Space Medicine Research (CSMR) at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. The mission of the CSMR is to find biomedical solutions to keep humans safe and healthy in long-duration spaceflight, and to translate innovations from the space environment into novel patient care solutions on Earth. Sandra is an Assistant Professor of Bioastronautics in the joint Harvard-MIT Program in Health Sciences & Technology, and an Assistant Professor of Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. She holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Harvard University, a PhD in Experimental Psychology from the University of Cambridge, and a Master’s degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She completed her postdoctoral training with the NASA Johnson Space Center’s Behavioral Health and Performance research group. Her research promotes high-level human performance in extreme environments through behavioral health support and improved training, teaming, and cooperation between humans and technology systems. Sandra has conducted extensive research in remote and resource-limited settings, including spaceflight analogs and Antarctic stations. She is also an active scuba diver, private pilot, volunteer EMT, and a passionate educator who aims to inspire the next generation of explorers and innovators.