MISSION POSSIBLE

SPACE x MEDICINE

DECEMBER 4, 2025
Featuring experts in astrobiology and space medicine, this workshop includes a hands-on Mission Clinic to help you refine your own mission!


PROGRAMME

11:00-12:00
Introduction to Astrobiology Research at PERC, Chiba Institute of Technology
Nori Miyake
Senior Staff Scientist
​Chiba Institute of Technology, Planetary Exploration Research Center (PERC)

LUNCH

13:00-14:00
Space Medicine
Masahiro Terada
Associate Professor, University of Kyoto

14:00-15:00
Medicine from Plants for Space
Kim Johnson and Phil Brewer
La Trobe University / Plants4Space

Coffee Break

15:30-16:30
Mission Clinic
Discussion on how to make an idea into a real mission. Please bring your own mission!
SPEAKERS
Nori Miyake
Chiba Institute of Technology, Planetary Exploration Research Center, Senior Staff Scientist

​Dr. Nori Miyake completed his PhD in Astrobiology at Cardiff University, following a BSc (Hons) in Biochemistry from the University of Dundee. His current research focuses on exploring extremophiles across the entire biosphere, from those in the upper atmosphere (stratosphere) to those in the lower biosphere (terrestrial mud volcanoes). His expertise spans the full spectrum of research, including instrument development for sample collection and subsequent microbial analysis.
​
Masahiro Terada 
Associate Professor (Special Appointment), Unit of Synergetic Studies for Space, Kyoto University

Dr. Masahiro Terada received his Ph.D. from the Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences at Osaka University. His research focuses on space medicine and space biology. In 2009, he joined the Space Medicine and Biology Laboratory at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), led by Dr. Chiaki Mukai, where he conducted research on health management technologies for astronauts.
From October 2014, he spent three years as a visiting researcher at NASA’s Ames Research Center, working on the development of health assessment methods for astronauts during long-duration spaceflight. He subsequently moved to Jikei University School of Medicine, and has served in his current position since April 2018.
Important Speaker Update 
Due to unforeseen circumstances, Michelle will not be able to join us on the day.
We are very pleased to announce that her colleagues from Plants4Space,
Prof. Kim Johnson and Prof. Phil Brewer, will be speaking in her place.

A/Prof Kim Johnson is a lecturer and researcher in the School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment at La Trobe University, Melbourne. A/Prof Johnsons research within the La Trobe Institute for Sustainable Agriculture and Food aims to optimize crops for different environments. Her work looks at the cell wall, the 'skeleton' of the plant that influences how plants are used for food, fuel, medicines and textiles. A/Prof Johnson graduated from the University of Melbourne, has worked in leading plant research institutes in the UK, and is passionate about communicating the importance of STEM in Agriculture, Food and Space to make the way we eat more sustainable and enjoyable.
Prof. Phil Brewer is a plant biologist, who specialises in molecular biology, cell biology and plant physiology. Phil's recent research has focused on production and action of plant hormones, in particularly, the complex interactions between strigolactones and auxin. A key research aim for Prof. Brewer is to uncover the mechanisms of plant hormone function, and how this affects plant architecture and environmental responses in crops. Plant hormone balance coordinates stress and growth responses, yet the interplay between hormonal pathways - particularly the antagonism between defence and growth - is still poorly understood. A central biological question is whether these pathways can be uncoupled to sustain robust stress responses without compromising growth and yield. Interestingly, metabolic responses to stress in plant cells share notable similarities with those in animal cells, particularly under extreme conditions such as space environments, where both plants and astronauts face elevated stress and radiation exposure. In these contexts, enhanced antioxidant production may be vital for the health and resilience of both crop plants and humans.
Michelle Watt holds the Adrienne Clarke Professorial Chair of Botany at the University of Melbourne and is a Node Leader and co-Program Leader in the Australian Research Council [Centre of Excellence in Plants for Space (P4S).] Within P4S, the [Watt Group] is engineering a strawberry that is 100% usable by increasing fruit harvest index, valourising leaves and roots. Based on scoping workshops led by surgeon Peter Choong and medical biologist Gordon Wallace, Michelle’s group is incorporating a pathway for bone repair into roots for exudation on demand. In her talk she will cover this research and broader biopharma synthetic biology across the P4S Centre of Excellence.
Michelle is an expert in plant roots [publications]. She was President of International Society of Root Research (ISRR) (2018-2025), holds the ISRR Dundee Medal (2017), and is elected R.N. Robertson Award by the Australian Society of Plant Science (2025). She led research at CSIRO in Australia (2001-2015) and the Helmholz Research Centre Juelich and University of Bonn in Germany (2015-2020), has advised agriculture industry through the Australian Grains Research and Development Corporation (2021-2024), and currently sits on the Australia Research Council (ARC) College of Experts.