Biography

Dr. Michael A Schmidt, PhD, MPhil, FAsMA is considered among those leading the advancement of precision (personalized) medicine in human spaceflight and high-performance operations on Earth. Dr. Schmidt has also been instrumental in development of the field of multiomics applied to human spaceflight (genomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, microbiomics, and pharmacogenomics), which includes leading development of the Astronaut Digital Twin Program.

Beyond spaceflight, Dr. Schmidt has three decades of experience working with elite performers in extreme environments, which includes molecular profiling and countermeasure efforts for humans ranging from wilderness medicine, SWAT, high altitude ascent, military Special Operations Forces, military aviators, Olympic athletes, and professional athletes (NFL, NBA, etc.). This includes his current work as a senior advisor to the US Naval Special Warfare Group TWO (SEAL teams) and to the US Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor Program (TOPGUN School).

Dr. Schmidt is co-editor of the textbook (2025), “Building a Space Faring Civilization” and the forthcoming (2026) “Fundamentals of Human Research for Civilian Spaceflight,” both published by Academic Press (Elsevier). He is a Fellow of the Aerospace Medical Association (FAsMA) and is the former President of the Life Sciences and Biomedical Engineering Branch of the Aerospace Medical Association (currently on the Board of Governors). Dr. Schmidt also currently leads the chapter development on the biomedical drivers of space architecture for the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Space Architecture 2025-2034 Decadal Survey (AIAA Space Architecture Technical Committee).

Dr. Schmidt did his PhD research in Molecular Medicine and Biochemistry within the Space Biosciences Division at NASA Ames Research Center under the Chief Medical Officer. This also included work with the NASA Human Information Processing Research Branch, and a Fellowship at NASA’s Human Systems Integration Division and the Psychophysiology Research Laboratory. He received a second Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Lancaster University focused on molecular modulators of neuroplasticity (with pilot work at the University of Cambridge, Addenbrookes Hospital) and did additional studies in data and models at MIT.

In addition to his role as a Professor of Aerospace Medicine at UCF, he is the CEO and Chief Scientific Officer of Sovaris Aerospace in Boulder, CO. Dr. Schmidt is the 2025 recipient of the Professional Excellence Award from the Life Sciences and Biomedical Engineering Branch of the Aerospace Medical Association.