The ESA-FAIR Radiation Summer School takes place in Darmstadt, Germany, and looks at reducing the risk model for astronauts in space, concentrating on both microgravity and physiology, radiation and cancer.
This mix of research interests appealed particularly to Grace, who moved to NDORMS from the Department of Oncology to study with Professor Alsaleh at the Space Innovation Lab.
Her research proposal, ‘Estronauts: Investigating Estrogen as a Neuroprotective Strategy Against Galactic Cosmic Ray Induced CNS Damage’, was awarded second place, and she was recognised as a top student of the summer school.
On her experience, Grace said ‘Attending the ESA GSI/FAIR Summer School 2025 was one of the most inspiring experiences of my career so far. Meeting the ESA astronaut class of 2022, along with long-standing astronauts such as Christer Fuglesang and Thomas Reiter, is something I will never forget. I am very grateful for the opportunity to learn from world-class researchers and to collaborate with such a talented, international group of students. This experience has strengthened my ambition to contribute to advancing space health research. Being recognised as a top student has been incredibly encouraging, and I look forward to applying what I’ve learned to my work at NDORMS.’