About

Dr. Michael A. Schmidt is considered among those leading the advancement of precision medicine in human spaceflight and translating those methods to high performance operations on Earth. He has also been instrumental in developing the field of omics in human spaceflight (genome, epigenome, transcriptome, proteome, metabolome, exposome, microbiome) and the application of those methods to extreme operating environments on Earth.

His work is focused on a systems engineering approach to facilitating human performance in extreme operating environments by using methods weighted in complex molecular analytics, coupled with physiologic and behavioral assessment. These are used to guide the development of tailored countermeasures (solutions) for individuals and teams. This work always orients it attention to how such knowledge can be translated to average people in their daily lives and clinical medicine in daily practice.

Dr. Schmidt is the founder, CEO, and Chief Scientific Officer of Sovaris Aerospace, based in Boulder, Colorado. His work covers a spectrum from NASA, the NFL, the NBA, US Olympic teams, SpaceX, Axiom Space, Corvette Racing, NASCAR, military Special Operations Forces, SWAT, Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor Program (TOPGUN), the Mayo Clinic, and others.

In his academic role, Dr. Schmidt is a Professor of Aerospace Medicine in the Department of Medicine at the University of Central Florida College of Medicine. This program is designed to pioneer research, education, and clinical services in the rapidly evolving domains of aviation, spaceflight, and extreme environments medicine. He is also among the founding faculty in the Aerospace Medicine Residency Program, which is one of three civilian programs in the United States that prepares physicians for board certification in Aerospace Medicine.

One of the unique features of his work is the continual focus to translate between discoveries gleaned from work with high performers on Earth (athletes, soldiers, etc.) and discoveries derived from human performance in spaceflight (astronauts). This allows for a refinement of precision medicine, training, and countermeasure applications across any extreme or high performance environment.

Dr. Schmidt is currently the President of the Human Research Program for Civilian Spaceflight (HRP-C). He is a member of the Explore Mars program, establishing human mission parameters with NASA and others for the exploration of Mars. Dr. Schmidt is also a member of the NFL Players Association Scientific Advisory Board and he led the molecular profiling/countermeasures program for the Golden State Warriors when they set the NBA record for wins in a season (73-9).

As part of his work with the NASA Open Science Data Repository (OSDR), he is a member of the Human Analysis Working Group and the Multi-Omics/Systems Biology Analysis Working Group. The goal of the OSDR working groups is to enable reuse of multi-modal and multi-hierarchical fundamental space life science data to advance basic science, applied science, and operational outcomes for space exploration and knowledge discovery.

Dr. Schmidt is also a key member of the Space Omics and Medical Atlas team (SOMA), working in collaboration with Weill Cornell Medicine (Mason Lab) to advance multiomics assessment and interpretation across space missions. This work has resulted in a steady stream of publications describing the vast molecular dynamics observable in humans engaged in space missions of long and short duration. It has also resulted in novel discoveries by Dr. Schmidt related to space-related changes in specific molecular networks essential to astronaut health and performance.

Dr. Schmidt and his team at Sovaris AI (a joint venture of Sovaris Aerospace and Embody Biosciences) are currently building digital twin technology, which involves the integration of high dimensional data with machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) tools, centered on the methods of Bayesian inference. A digital twin is a virtual model of a physical object (in this case a human). It allows real-time interaction and communication between both the living twin and the digital twin to help with the modelling, monitoring, understanding, and optimization of the functions and behavior of the living twin, such as a human going into space. The Astronaut Digital Twin (ADT) is their lead AI program, which is also translational to medicine on Earth, such as in the optimization of muscle performance in athletes (Athlete Digital Twin) or enhancement of cognitive performance.

Dr. Schmidt 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 (Space Architecture Technical Committee). This chapter will form the guidance for space architects over the next ten years in the biomedical infrastructure needs of space architectural design and on the effect of architectural design elements on the human response to spacecraft and habitat design.

Dr. Schmidt is the former President of the Life Sciences and Biomedical Engineering Branch of the Aerospace Medical Association and is currently a member of their Board of Governors. He is also President of the Space Precision Medicine Association, is a member of the Space Exploration and Integration Committee of the American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronautics, and is a member of the Space Surgery Association.

Dr. Schmidt’s career also includes 30 years of expertise in human metabolism, molecular networks, nutritional biochemistry, and clinical nutrition. His approach is strongly focused on laboratory analytics as a means to precisely describe metabolic networks and arrive at personalized interventions. This is all in the context of food and dietary applications that are tailored to the performance operating environment. As part of his work in functional genomics, Dr. Schmidt is a former member of the Curriculum Development Task Group for the Nutritional Genomics Certification program (in association with the Board for Certification of Nutrition Specialists), American College of Nutrition, American Nutrition Association. He is also a former member of the Scientific Advisory Council for this group. Over a 15 year period, Dr. Schmidt was a member of the Examination Writing and Review Committee for the Clinical Nutrition Certification Board, International & American Association of Clinical Nutritionists.

Dr. Schmidt is the recipient of the Research and Innovation Award from the Life Sciences and Biomedical Engineering Branch of the Aerospace Medical Association (AsMA), and he received the Marvingt Award from the Aerospace Medical Association for excellence in aerospace medicine. These awards were given for his work with the human genome, epigenome, transcriptome, proteome, metabolome, and microbiome in spaceflight. This includes his work in translating these findings to precision medicine applications in space. Dr. Schmidt also recently received the President’s Medal for excellence in aerospace medicine leadership from the Life Sciences and Biomedical Engineering Branch of AsMA in 2024.

In his ongoing work with the Mayo Clinic, Dr. Schmidt has led and continues to lead a series of research investigations ranging from 1) ascent of Mount Kilimanjaro studying cardiovascular compensatory limits using echocardiography, 2) multiomics (genome, transcriptome, proteome, metabolome, microbiome) in cancer, 3) systemic and cerebral perfusion in humans using NAD+ precursors, 4) stress and burnout countermeasures in high performance operations of medical personnel, 5) EEG monitoring and molecular countermeasures focused on protecting against brain injury/concussion in athletes engaged in contact sports, and others.

Dr. Schmidt has also led performance studies of molecular countermeasures to optimize training for those preparing for US military special forces qualification, such as Navy SEAL (BUD/S), Army Rangers, Green Beret, and others. Among these, he co-led a recent study with former SEAL Team Six operator Jeff Nichols, who was also a former Department Head in Human Performance for the US Special Operations Command (SOCOM). Schmidt, Nichols, and colleagues found that oral nighttime loading of kavalactones significantly and positively impacted motivation for physical activity, even in the face of six continuous weeks of two-a-day training sessions (which ordinarily degrades motivation). This has resulted in novel theories about motivation and viable countermeasures in the context of high training loads. This finding led to Dr. Schmidt’s current Mayo Clinic study of stress and burnout in high performance medical personnel using oral kavalactones (Conley, Bauer, & Schmidt et al).

Dr. Schmidt’s work in traumatic brain injury (concussion) is focused on those who must operate in extreme environments or under extreme operating conditions. This covers a spectrum from military Special Operations Forces, to combat aviators, to professional athletes, to Olympic athletes, and others. Protecting and optimizing brain function in the radiation, microgravity, and isolation environment of prolonged space exploration is another of these domains. Dr. Schmidt is also the current Chair of Molecular Medicine for the International Concussion Society.

Dr. Schmidt is also the developer of Brain Fitness for Leaders. This program was developed to optimize the brain’s biology that underlies one’s ability to become leaders in their field (discipline, profession, sport) and/or to optimize brain function in those who seek to be better leaders of others. It is based on the premise that the brain’s biology shapes all the underlying drivers that give rise to the emotional and cognitive functions central to successful leadership.

Dr. Schmidt is a former advisor to the Rocky Mountain Regional Center of Excellence for Biodefense & Emerging Infectious Diseases Research, located at the Infectious Disease Research Complex at Colorado State University. Among these was the use of transcriptomics and proteomics to predict the onset of the dangerous condition of sepsis before other confirmatory laboratory and clinical signs emerge. He also led Sovaris Aerospace as a member of the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Center of Excellence for Commercial Spaceflight, in concert with its collaboration with the University of Colorado School of Aerospace Engineering.

In addition to his human performance work in biomedical applications, Dr. Schmidt has been actively involved in acoustic systems engineering applied to biological and non-biological systems. This has involved field work with groups like National Geographic and the Smithsonian on how cetaceans (dolphins, orcas, whales) use sound in long-range communication, echolocation, identification, navigation, hunting, feeding, and other behaviors. The biomimicry aspects of this acoustic systems engineering research is coupled with understanding the physics of how complex acoustic waves can be dynamically engineered for desired effects on a range of other fluid systems, i.e., air, energy recovery, human physiology, and a range of other disciplines.

Dr. Schmidt did his PhD research in Molecular Medicine and Biochemistry within the Life Sciences Division at NASA Ames Research Center under the Chief Medical Officer, Ralph Pelligra, MD. At NASA, he was involved in research on the NASA 20-G Long-Arm Human Centrifuge, conducting the longest continuous human hypergravity exposures in history. This also included work with the Human Information Processing Research Branch at NASA, under Mal Cohen, PhD. His subsequent gravitational work utilized the NASA 20G long radius (27.36 ft.) and short radius (8.36 ft.) centrifuge to quantify effects of different G levels, radii, and their resulting gravity gradients on body fluid distribution, cardiovascular regulatory responses, molecular network changes (e.g., metabolome), and the effect of lower limb exercise.

Dr. Schmidt also did a fellowship at NASA’s Human Systems Integration Division (Psychophysiology Research Laboratory), with an emphasis on physiologic monitoring and autogenic feedback-focused countermeasures aimed at raising human performance in extended microgravity, hypergravity, sleep deprivation, night vision operations, pararescue, high altitude flight, strike fighter pilots, spaceflight, and other stressors encountered in extreme environments. This included extensive use of EEG and signal processing algorithms, along with complex sensor arrays to get real time feedback on more than 20 distinct autonomic nervous system measures.

He received a second PhD in Neuroscience from Lancaster University, Department of Medical and Sports Science (UK), focused on methods to modulate neuroplastic molecular networks in humans (e.g., neurotrophins). This included some initial pilot work at the University of Cambridge (Wolfson Brain Imaging Centre, Addenbrookes Hospital) focused on the molecular mechanisms of traumatic brain injury. He did additional studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in data and models (artificial neural networks, etc.) in support of his approach to network theory in solving problems associated with high dimensional data.

His textbook, Building a Space-Faring Civilization (Elsevier, Academic Press, 2025), explores the biomedical challenges of what it means to truly build a civilization in space, also incorporating those values of a shared humanity and the striving to see the best in one another. It asks the questions, “What kind of civilization will we take with us into space?” “Will we do it consciously?” “What are the biomedical, personal, and technological tools needed to accomplish this?” This book will be followed by his subsequent textbook entitled, Foundations of Human Research for Civilian Spaceflight (Elsevier, Academic Press, 2026), which is focused on the foundational operating principles of building a human research program for civilians traveling, living, and working in space. The following year, he and his team will release a textbook on artificial intelligence in clinical medicine.

Dr. Schmidt actively supports the Wounded War Heroes Foundation, where he has been involved in taking military vets and wounded warriors into the wilderness to be immersed in the wild and also experience the togetherness of the group. A second objective is to hunt, fish, and bring in additional food for their families. He also supports the SEAL Legacy Foundation, which provides college scholarships to the children of Navy SEALs who lost their lives in the line of duty.

Dr. Schmidt is experienced in open water/ocean kayaking, alpine mountaineering, high altitude research, wilderness medicine, expeditionary fitness/behavior, team building, and conflict resolution. He has also spent 30 years studying orcas, humpback whales, and dolphins in the wild, which includes documentary film work. He is the father of two sons who also caught the science bug. They too work in molecular medicine, systems engineering, and human performance. Dr. Schmidt resides in Boulder, Colorado.

Dr. Michael A. Schmidt is the Founder, CEO, and Chief Scientific Officer of Sovaris Aerospace www.sovarisaerospace.com