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.

His work is focused on 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 also incorporates the tools of team cohesion.

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, Special Forces, SWAT, the Mayo Clinic, and others. In his academic role, Dr. Schmidt is a Professor of Neuroscience at the University of South Florida College of Medicine.
His mission is to help humans optimize performance in any operational environment whether it be spaceflight, military, athletic, corporate, or other. This applies to individuals, teams, and organizations.

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.

One of the unique features of his work is the focus to continually translate back and forth 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 and training applications across any extreme or high performance environment.
Dr. Schmidt and his team at Sovaris Aerospace are currently building the Astronaut Digital Twin (ADT), which involves the integration of high dimensional data with machine learning and artificial intelligence tools, centered on the methods of Bayesian inference. A digital twin is a virtual model of a physical object (in this case an astronaut). It allows real-time interaction and communication between both the real twin and the digital twin to help with the modelling, monitoring, understanding, and optimization of the functions and behavior of the real twin, such as a human going into space. The ADT will also become 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 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 and is a member of the Space Exploration and Integration Committee of the American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronautics.

Dr. Schmidt’s career 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. This has resulted in novel findings about motivation and viable countermeasures in the context of high training loads.
His 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 (NFL, NHL, UFC, etc.), to Olympic athletes (rugby, hockey, etc.), and others. Protecting and optimizing brain function in the radiation, microgravity, and isolation environment of prolonged space exploration is another of these domains. This work is focused on integrating complex molecular, physiological, and behavioral analytics, coupled with the development of both stratified and personalized countermeasures tailored to the individual and to the operating environment.

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 giving 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. This effort incorporated his work in complex molecular network analytics to develop countermeasures for improving human immune defenses, as a means of combating infectious disease in variable environments. 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.

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, spaceflight, and other stressors encountered in extreme environments. This included extensive use of EEG, 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.).

His forthcoming textbook, Building a Space Faring Civilization (Elsevier, Academic Press, January 2025), explores the biomedical challenges of what it means to truly build a civilization, also incorporating those values of a shared humanity and the striving to see the best in one another. It asks the question, “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, The Human Research Program 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.