Jamie Foster

Assistant Director

Jamie Foster is a Full Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Cell Science at the University of Florida. Her research lab is located at the Space Life Sciences Lab located in Exploration Park near the Kennedy Space Center, FL.  Dr. Foster has been focused on understanding how the space environment, specifically microgravity, impacts beneficial microbe-animal interactions. Dr. Foster received her B.S. in Zoology from the University of Massachusetts of Amherst and her M.S. in Biological Sciences from the University of Southern California. She completed her Ph.D. in Zoology at the University of Hawaii and then completed Postdoctoral Fellowships in Microbiology at the National Institutes of Health and NASA Ames Research Center. Dr. Foster has conducted numerous spaceflight experiments aboard the space shuttle and the International Space Station. Her research examines the effects of microgravity on the symbiotic interactions between microbes and their eukaryotic hosts. She also explores how microbes can be engineered to biomanufacture and deliver important therapeutics to maintain astronaut health during long-duration spaceflight. 

Dr. Foster’s role in the Astraeus Space Institute has been to build stronger connections between the Florida Space Coast, including the rapidly expanding commercial space industry, and the University of Florida. Dr. Foster is the lead contact for the Space Edge Accelerator UF Hub, a program to help new companies learn about expanding their space biomanufacturing portfolio and building connections with space implementation partners and launch providers. Dr. Foster is also the UF site lead for the Center for Science, Technology, and Research in Space (C-STARS). C-STARS is an NSF-funded program that brings academic researchers across the State of Florida together with spaceflight providers to help industries transition to the space manufacturing sector and improve the production of unique medicines, therapeutics, and materials that can benefit the people of Earth. Dr. Foster’s long-term goal for the University of Florida Astraeus Space Institute is to serve as a centralized hub for collaborations between researchers and commercial companies providing critical access, experience, and knowledge to increase research and production capabilities in the space environment.