Seeking to empower organizations and researchers in the study of
human sexual health, behavior, and reproductive factors
as they apply to outer space environments.

Quod Liberi Nostri Ut Vivant Inter Astra
"That Our Children May Live Among the Stars"

OUR MISSION:

Conduct and support research and data analysis of human reproduction, sexual health, and behavioral factors as they apply to outer space environments, and develop viable solutions for mitigation of challenges facing human sexual performance and safe, successful reproduction in those environments.

SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT COUNCIL

Gabrielle Caswell, MBBS

CEO, SpacePort Australia,

Space Medicine Researcher & Physician

James Logan, MD, MS

Former NASA Chief of Flight Medicine

& Chief of Medical Operations,

Johnson Space Center

Olivia Lesslar, MBBS

CEO, Lifespan Medicine Australia

& Psychoneuroimmunologist

Rowena Christiansen, MBBS

Space & Extreme Medicine Physician,

University of Melbourne

& Ad Astra Vita Project

Jason Pappafotis, MA

Strategic Risk Advisor,

Founder & CEO, RatLab Records

Inara Tabir

President, Multiplanetary Society

Henryk Dabrowski, PhD, MSc, MBA

CEO, X-trategy Consulting Group &

Areca Financial Services, Venture Partner

David Goldsmith, MBA

Founder, Project Moon Hut Foundation,

CEO, MearthCorp

Additional SME Council Members

OUR TEAM

ASRI
DIRECTOR

Dr. Alexander Layendecker is the founder and current Director of ASRI. He is a 2008 graduate of the United

States Air Force Academy and served seven years as a USAF space operations officer for spacecraft launch and recovery, before transferring to the USAF Reserve as an HH-60G helicopter pilot for Combat Search and Rescue. He completed a Master of Public Health (2013) and PhD in Human Sexuality (2016) from the Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality, where his doctoral research focused on human sexuality and reproduction in off-Earth environments, the history of research in this area, and the research gaps that must be filled in the future in order to make long-term settlement of other worlds a viable possibility. In 2019 he co-authored the book chapter "Logistics of Reproduction in Space" with Dr. Shawna Pandya for Springer's Handbook of Life Support Systems for Spacecraft and Extraterrestrial Habitats. He also holds a Master of Military Operational Arts & Sciences in Joint Warfare (2024) from the USAF Air University’s Air Command and Staff College, for which his thesis focused on future Space Rescue operations. Dr. Layendecker has been featured as a guest speaker on a multitude of popular podcasts such as The Space Show, The Space Revolution, and Age of Infinite, as well as at various conferences to include SXSW, International Space Development Conference (ISDC), ASCEND, and New Worlds. His work has also been featured in numerous media publications and books to include A City on Mars, The Big Book of Mars, and Star Settlers: The Billionaires, Geniuses, and Crazed Visionaries Out to Conquer the Universe.

CHIEF OF
RESEARCH

Dr. April Ronca is a leading scientist in space biosciences, specializing in mammalian reproduction,

development, and sex-differences research. Her pioneering work provides the foundational science for the first multigenerational rodent studies in space, advancing understanding of how reproduction and development are shaped by the unique challenges of the spaceflight environment. Through this research, Dr. Ronca is helping to prepare for the future of long-duration human exploration and settlement beyond Earth. Dr. Ronca is a former NASA Senior Scientist, Director of the Neurobehavior and Sex Differences Laboratory, and Discipline Scientist for Vertebrate Research in the Space Biosciences Division at NASA Ames Research Center. She has also served as (and continues as Adjunct) Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Neurobiology & Anatomy, Molecular Medicine & Translational Science, and the Center for Biomolecular Imaging at Wake Forest School of Medicine. She has been a principal investigator on numerous NASA Space Shuttle and International Space Station (ISS)experiments, as well as ground-based analog studies assessing the effects of spaceflight factors—including simulated Galactic Cosmic Radiation—on brain, behavior, and sex-specific outcomes. She has authored over 100 peer-reviewed publications, chapters, and books, and her research has been continuously supported by NASA and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Dr. Ronca was an investigator on the landmark NIH.Rodent 1 and 2 missions, the first to fly pregnant mammals on the Space Shuttle, and most recently on NASA Rodent Research-20, a long-duration ISS experiment investigating female fertility and offspring outcomes across multiple generations. Her work has been featured on the Science Discovery Channel and the History Channel’s “Universe” series segment on Sex in Space. She is active in scientific leadership, currently serving as Associate for the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR), and is Past President of both the American Society for Gravitational and Space Research (ASGSR)and the International Society for Developmental Psychobiology (ISDP). Her honors include the APA D.O. Hebb Early Career Scientist Award, the ASGSR Thora W. Halstead Young Investigator Award, the NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal, the NASA Ames Mentor Award, the NASA Exceptional Service Medal, and the ASGSR Presidential Award. Dr. Ronca has served on numerous federal review panels and working groups, including the National Academies’ Decadal Survey on Biological and Physical Sciences in Space and the NIH Biobehavioral Regulation, Learning, and Ethology Study Section. From 2009–2013, she directed the Women’s Health Center of Excellence Research Program at Wake Forest School of Medicine, establishing translational initiatives in sex/gender biomedicine. She co-chaired the NASA Headquarters Review on the Role of Sex/Gender in Adaptation to Spaceflight (2013) and the Rodent Habitat Workshop Mark III to support multigenerational studies in space. She serves on the editorial boards of "Gravitational & Space Research, Life Sciences in Space Research", and "Developmental Psychobiology", and has guest-edited special issues for "Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews" and "Frontiers in Physiology."

CHIEF OF
SPACE MEDICINE

Dr. Shawna Pandya is a globally-renowned astronaut, physician, scientist, aquanaut, and speaker. She is the

Director of the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences (IIAS) Space Medicine Group, and was selected as IIAS Astronaut 002 in June 2024. She is a clinical lecturer at the University of Alberta, emergency and primary care physician, subject matter expert in space medicine, and analog and extreme environment researcher. She has co-authored a book chapter on sexuality and reproduction in long-duration spaceflight with Dr. Layendecker, and has served as a keynote speaker on the topic for media, podcasts and conferences. Dr. Pandya has served as the Principal Investigator and Co-Investigator for numerous space-based biomedical and physical sciences experiments for Virgin Galactic, SpaceX, Polaris Dawn, Axiom, Blue Origin, the International Space Station, and the Jules Undersea Lodge underwater habitat. Her additional publications include a paper on medical guidelines for commercial suborbital spaceflight, and book chapters on space technologies that have benefited terrestrial medicine and psychological resilience in long-duration spaceflight. She 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, among others. In 2019, her 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. She was also named one of the Women’s Executive Network’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada and a Canadian Space Agency Space Ambassador. Dr. Pandya has also been a multi-year finalist for the IIAS’s “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 2022, Dr. Pandya was named one of 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 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.

CHIEF OF
INNOVATION & DEVELOPMENT

Dr. Simon Dubé is a Research Fellow at the Kinsey Institute, and an Affiliate Professor in the Department

of Sexology at the Université du Québec à Montréal. He was also Scientific Director for the International Sexual Health & Wellness Research Institute. Dr. Dubé is a Research Psychologist specializing in human sexuality, erobotics, and space sexology: respectively, the study of human-machine erotic interaction and the study of intimacy and sexuality beyond Earth. He co-authored The Case for Space Sexology and Sexual Health in Space: A 5-Year Scoping Review. His doctoral work was funded by the Fonds de Recherche du Québec - Santé (FRQS), and his postdoctoral research was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). Beyond his academic expertise, Dr. Dubé has been involved in the media to help the public, the scientific community, and governments recognize the importance of considering human eroticism as we venture deeper and longer into space and aim to settle new worlds. This includes journal, radio, TV, and docuseries interviews, including Sexe+Techno and Werner and Rudolf Herzog’s Discovery+, Last Exit: Space.

Solar_eclipse_of_August_21,_2017_(36779454505)_edited.jpg

“Sex in space is not about going somewhere else to have sex. It’s ultimately about expanding beyond

our immediate neighborhood, into a Universe to which we belong.”

- Vanna Bonta

CHIEF OF
PSYCHOSOCIAL MEDICINE

Maria Santaguida, MS, is a researcher, consultant, and sessional lecturer specializing in human sexuality,

sexual technology, and digital sexual behavior. She has eight years of experience teaching research methods and statistics in the Department of Psychology at Concordia University. Her doctoral research in Research Psychology, funded by the Fonds de Recherche du Québec – Société et culture (FRQSC), examines the links between alcohol consumption, sex-related alcohol expectancies, and high-risk sexual behavior in young adults. Santaguida is the Chief Scientific Officer of CareChain, where she leads the development of innovative models of care for improving health outcomes and health systems performance, including their potential applications in spaceflight and exploration. In 2021, she co-authored "The Case for Space Sexology", a landmark article calling on space organizations to adopt a biopsychosocial framework for the study of intimacy and sexuality in space. This article drew international attention and prompted NASA to acknowledge that it would consider reproductive health research in space if the need were identified. To help identify that need, Santaguida and Simon Dubé published "Sexual Health in Space: A 5-Year Scoping Review" (2023), which systematically examined research on sexual health in space between 2018 and 2022. Beyond her scholarly work, Santaguida has been an outspoken advocate for protocols and safeguards to prevent and address risks such as sexual harassment and assault in space environments. As a sextech consultant, she is developing intimacy-supportive technologies designed to address the unique psychological, physiological, and relational challenges of spaceflight. Her work has been featured in international media, including CBC, Newsweek, Business Insider, The Daily Beast, Mic Magazine, and the Daily Mail, among others.

CHIEF OF
OPERATIONS

Tamara Valdman was the Communications Manager at Woodpile Studios, an award-winning firm in

Washington, DC, where she worked on a multi-million dollar, multi-year contract for the US Department of Veterans Affairs. She then served as the Chief Business Development Officer for Agrio, an international agtech startup that assists farmers in low-income nations, and held the role of Chief of Staff for two startups. Tamar is currently a Communications Consultant in industries ranging from longevity to cryptocurrency. She holds a Master of Science degree in social work from Columbia University and a bachelor's degree in psychology. Additionally, Tamar co-authored a published manuscript that was the first to measure cognitive changes in approach and avoidance motivations towards oneself and others following social rejection.

FILM MEDIA &
VIDEOGRAPHY

Giulianna Gasparotto is a versatile filmmaker and media developer whose expertise spans acting,

writing, directing, and producing across a diverse range of projects. Her achievements extend into the innovative intersection of art and technology, and her work has been recognized at NASA’s Space Apps Challenge, where her AI-driven short film inspired by the James Webb Space Telescope earned the award for Art and Technology. Additionally, her team’s Exo Explorers web app game., created to educate and inspire high schoolers about space exploration and exoplanets, won the award for Best Use of Technology. These accomplishments exemplify her ability to merge innovation with storytelling, crafting narratives and interactive experiences that engage and inspire. A skilled videographer, Giulianna captures the energy of live events with precision and creativity. Her expertise in behind-the-scenes (BTS) photography showcases her unique talent for visual storytelling, both on and off set. Her debut film, Ellie, which she wrote, directed, produced, and starred in, showcases her multifaceted talent, while her role as the lead actress in a Proof of Concept film highlights her ability to bring compelling narratives to life. As an assistant director (AD), Giulianna has contributed to projects that have earned award nominations, ensuring seamless production workflows and fostering creative collaboration. In addition to her work in film and media production, Giulianna is a passionate entrepreneur. Her ventures include AlterX AI, a startup concept designed to empower individuals to explore their creativity through accessible AI tools, reflecting her commitment to combining art and technology. Giulianna’s artistic vision centers on inspiring people to dream big and expand humanity’s future. Through narratives that explore the intersection of science, innovation, and creativity, she strives to educate, connect, spark meaningful change, and leave a lasting impact—encouraging audiences to unlock their potential and embrace the extraordinary opportunities that lie ahead. At ASRI, Giulianna leverages her storytelling and media expertise to communicate groundbreaking research. She crafts narratives that amplify ASRI’s mission, inspiring curiosity about humanity’s potential in space exploration and fostering public engagement with the Institute’s pioneering work.

CHIEF OF
PUBLICATIONS

Ryn Yee, MAppSci, is a former ESOL teacher passionate about heritage language retention and

revitalization with experience in both nonprofit and corporate communications as well as various roles within creative and academic publications. Ryn’s written work has appeared in several online magazines, journals, and charity anthologies, including the SFRA Review. Upon moving from the US to Aotearoa, New Zealand, Ryn was accepted to and completed a Graduate Diploma in Publishing (Applied) and has since worked on over forty books in various capacities. They are also currently an associate editor for the short story YA SFF podcast, Cast of Wonders, which has been shortlisted for multiple awards in 2024. After the lockdowns eased, Ryn was accepted to the Science Communications program at the University of Otago with a focus on Creative Nonfiction. Their work within the program allowed them to explore the intersection of reproductive choice and technology, the science and social stigma of STIs and blood donation in the queer community, telemedicine and technology in rehabilitation, under Covid-19 lockdown, and from space. Their thesis explored the benefits of applying bioastronautics and health research to patients on Earth.

RESEARCH FELLOWS