Our Executive Mentors

JUDITH HAYES

Judith Hayes is the Chief Science Officer for the Human Health and Performance Directorate at the NASA Johnson Space Center. Prior to this appointment, she was the Chief of the Biomedical Research and Environmental Sciences Division within the JSC Human Health and Performance Directorate.  Her career spans over 3 decades as a scientist and manager dedicated to ensuring astronaut health and performance during human space exploration. She started the NASA Exercise Physiology Laboratory in 1987 and was the Principal Investigator on two space flight experiments studying the effects of microgravity on skeletal muscle performance in astronauts.

As Division Chief, she led an interdisciplinary biomedical team involved in research, operations, and project management components of all NASA programs involved in human space exploration: ISS, Artemis, Gateway, Commercial Crew, Orion, EVA, Human Research Program, Human Lander Systems, and Advanced Exploration Systems. This involves activities related to space flight and analog research, clinical testing of astronauts, Human System Risks assessment, development of astronaut and vehicle health standards, countermeasures hardware and prescription validation, astronaut training, monitoring of space vehicle environmental health, and project management.

She has led the integration of medical operations and biomedical research requirements for the seven astronaut missions in Russian Mir-Shuttle program. Correspondingly, she established physiology and clinical laboratories at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia to support pre- and postflight medical and research testing for Mir and ISS. Judy established collaborations and contracts with the NASA international partners to provide ISS medical and experiment support. She continues to work closely with NASA’s international partners on various international contracts to provide ISS medical and experiment support. For the initial decade of ISS, she co-led with her Russian counterpart, the Multilateral Medical Operations Panel (MMOP) Countermeasures Subgroup. Similarly, she was a founding member of the International Countermeasures Working Group (ICWG), for developing global standards on spaceflight exercise, rehabilitation, and research.

Judy is the founding Director of the NASA Space Life Sciences Summer Institute, where she has hosted 1200+ undergraduate, graduate, and medical student interns. This educational institute engages college interns and fellows in multidisciplinary challenges related to space physiology, psychology, environmental health, and medicine related to human space exploration. Additionally, Judy is the co-chair of the Human Performance in Space Department for the International Space University (ISU) Summer Session Program in Brazil in 2023.

Judy has published journal articles and book chapters related to space flight exercise. Judy received Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Exercise Physiology from West Virginia University, followed by a Master of Public Health degree in Occupational Health specializing in space medicine from The University of Texas Health Sciences Center.  She completed an international health care pre-doctoral appointment at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.  Judy is currently a doctoral candidate in Leadership Studies at Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, TX.

Judy has been recognized with various honors, including the Silver Snoopy awarded by the NASA astronauts, as well as West Virginia University Hall of Fame, Outstanding Alumnus, and Academy of Distinguished Alumni. She holds memberships with the American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), Women in Aerospace, and Sigma Xi, the national research society. Judy is a Fellow in the Aerospace Medical Association (AsMA) and a Past-President of the AsMA Space Medicine Association. She currently volunteers with AstraFemina, an organization that inspires girls to engage in STEM education.