Dr. Shawna Pandya is a Canadian physician, scientist-astronaut candidate with the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences (IIAS), aquanaut, speaker, martial artist, advanced diver, skydiver, pilot-in-training, VP Immersive Medicine with Luxsonic Technologies, Associate Fellow of the Aerospace Medicine Association, and Fellow of the Explorers’ Club. She is also Director of the IIAS Space Medicine Group, Chief Instructor of the IIAS Space Medicine course, clinical lecturer, podcast host with the World Extreme Medicine’s WEMCast series, and sessional lecturer for the “Technology and the Future of Medicine,” course at the University of Alberta. In 2024, she was inducted as a full member of the International Astronautical Federation’s Human Spaceflight Committee, and joined became a flight physician. She serves as a medical advisor to Astreas and Above: Space Development Corporation, is a member of the ASCEND Guiding Coalition and the Jasper Dark Sky Festival Advisory Committee, as well as the Shad Canada Board of Directors. Dr. Pandya holds degrees in neuroscience (BSc Hons. Neuroscience, University of Alberta), space (MSc Space Studies, International Space University), and medicine (MD, University of Alberta), and a certification in entrepreneurship (Graduate Studies Program, Singularity University).
Dr. Pandya was part of the first crew to test a commercial spacesuit in zero-gravity in 2015. To date, she has flown 10 parabolic flight campaigns, culminating in over 160 parabolas of experience in micro- and reduced gravity. Dr. Pandya earned her aquanaut designation during the 2019 NEPTUNE (Nautical Experiments in Physiology, Technology and Underwater Exploration) mission, and completed a second aquanaut mission, NEP2NE, in May 2023, for a total of 11 days, 10 nights or 235 hours and 15 minutes underwater. In November 2023, she served on the Payload Crew and co-PI of the inaugural IIAS-01 suborbital research flight. She has also completed centrifuge studies, emergency spacecraft egress and sea survival training, and wilderness medicine training. She previously served as Commander during a 2020 tour at the Mars Desert Research Station. Her exploits have been previously captured in the 2019 Land Rover short, ‘Another World,’ released with the Apollo 11: First Steps film, and in the 2022 FIGS Space Navy and Mauve space medicine themed campaign. She previously interned at ESA’s European Astronaut Center and NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Her publications include a paper on medical guidelines for commercial suborbital spaceflight, and book chapters on space technologies that have benefitted terrestrial medicine, psychological resilience in long-duration spaceflight, and reproduction and sexuality in long-duration spaceflight. Her extreme environment research has seen her put neuroscience payloads aboard the International Space Station on the Ax-2 mission, as well as a PI and/or co-PI Polaris Dawn and Blue Origin payloads. To date, Dr. Pandya has presented her work at the International Astronautical Congress, the NASA Human Research Program Investigators’ Workshop, the Aerospace Medical Association Conference, the Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers’ Conference, the International Space Development Conference, the World Extreme Medicine Conference and more. In June 2022, her austere and extreme medicine work took her to Poland and Ukraine to work with refugees and internally displaced persons affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Dr. Pandya is a seasoned speaker and has given keynotes all around the world, including TEDxEdmonton 2010, TEDxUAlberta 2016 on Success, Failure, Resilience and Pushing the Limits, TEDxISU 2019 at the International Space University on “Discovering Exploration,” at the 2022 Explorers’ Club’s esteemed Global Exploration Summit, and in former Canadian Prime Minister Rt Hon. Kim Campbell’s Peter Lougheed Leadership College Leadership Lecture Series on Emotional Intelligence. She has also served as a keynote speaker or invited lecturer for numerous renowned space and austere environment institutions, including the Canadian Space Agency, the World Extreme Medicine organization, the Wilderness Medical Society, the Johns Hopkins Space Medicine Group, the Yale School of Medicine, the United College London Wilderness Medicine Club, the Kings College London Wilderness Medicine Club, the University of Hawaii, the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland, the Ireland Space Medicine Group, the FDNY Medical Special Operations Conference, the Explorers’ Club Global Exploration Conference, and more. Her speaking engagements to date have taken her to Japan, Scotland, South Korea, Singapore, Mexico, Qatar, and all over North America. She has served in numerous mentorship and guidance capacities, including with the Women in Aerospace Medicine group, the University of Alberta’s Technology and the Future of Medicine Class, Shad Canada, the Women’s Executive Network, the Space Prize Challenge, SEDS Canada, the PoSSUM13, the Zenith Pathways Fellowship, and more. She previously served as the Life Sciences Team Lead for the Association of Spaceflight Professionals.
She has also been a live commentator and analyst for historic space events, including with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation to comment on Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques’ mission to the International Space Station, and The Mojo Story to provide live analysis on the historical Chandrayaan-3 lunar South Pole landing.
She was granted an Honorary Fellowship in Extreme and Wilderness Medicine by the World Extreme Medicine organization in 2021, and was one of 50 physicians selected to attend the 2021 European Space Agency Space Medicine Physician Training Course. In 2021, Dr. Pandya was named one of the Women’s Executive Network’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada, a Canadian Space Agency Space Ambassador, and one of LinkedIn’s Top 100 Aviation and Aerospace Professionals to Follow in 2021. She has also been a multi-year finalist for the IIAS’ “Awesome PoSSUM” Award for contributing to the strength and development of that organization, and was the Association of Spaceflight Professionals 2019 “Contributor of the Year.” In 2019, Dr. Pandya’s career and trajectory were captured at the Ontario Science Center’s “Canadian Women in Space,” exhibit, where Dr. Pandya is permanently exhibited alongside Dr. Roberta Bondar, the first Canadian woman in space (and Dr. Pandya’s idol growing up). In 2022, Dr. Pandya was named as one the Explorers’ Club’s ‘50 Explorers Changing the World,” listed as #5 on the 2022 Top 100 Women in Aviation and Aerospace to Follow on LinkedIn, and also named to the Destination Canada 2022 Empowerlist. In 2023, she was named to The SustainabilityX Magazine’s “Global 50 Women in Sustainability,” for her work in Social Inclusion. In 2024, she was recognized for her contributions by the Women’s Space Awards in the Medicine and Health category, and named a Karman Pioneer. She has been profiled by Nature Careers and the Royal Canadian Mint for her work.
Dr. Pandya also holds certifications in solo sky-diving, advanced, open water, drysuit, Nitrox and rescue diving, and is working towards her private pilot’s license. Dr. Pandya is fluent in English, French, Gujarati, and dabbles in Spanish and Russian. She also sings, plays the piano and holds a black belt in Taekwondo and has trained in Muay Thai fight camps in Thailand, entering and winning her first amateur fight in 2017.