Research scientist Dr. Roxanne Fournier is the prospective expedition leader for the Pathfinder Prize finalist team, “Pharaoh’s Hot Springs.”

A current postdoctoral research fellow at the University of British Columbia, Fournier’s academic and research backgrounds have given her a well-rounded understanding of the effects of spaceflight on human physiology and performance. Her career aspirations are to support future human spaceflight missions and ensure humans can thrive in space. She holds a doctorate in cell and systems biology from the University of Toronto.

As a prospective expedition leader, Fournier draws from her mentoring, teaching and training experiences with the undergraduate and graduate students who have collaborated with her on her scientific endeavors. She’s led teams for projects such as the Canadian Reduced Gravity Experiment Design Challenge — which involved planning and executing a parabolic flight campaign in collaboration with the National Research Council of Canada and the Canadian Space Agency.

Fournier is an awardee of the NASA Deep Space Food Challenge and Canadian Space Agency Deep Space Healthcare Challenge. She is also the founder and director of research at High Frontier Health Technologies Inc., and a biological sciences representative for the graduate student body at the University of Toronto.