Biography of Ryan L. Kobrick, Ph.D.
Dr. Kobrick’s career portfolio has included over 20 years dedicated to the pursuit of human spaceflight with work experience in government, academia, industry, and non-profits. His focal research areas have included: human performance; lunar dust abrasion and mitigation for spacecraft design and operations including habitat dust intrusion and advanced spacesuit technologies; exploration safety; assessing the reach / work envelopes for spaceflight intravehicular activity (IVA) using pressure suits and motion capture; surface exploration extravehicular activity (EVA) metrics using analogue/analog research locations; IVA and EVA spacesuit technology development; and global engagement curriculum development. Specifically, Dr. Kobrick is a human spaceflight subject matter expert (SME) in lunar dust mitigation, spacesuits, and analogue research and operations.
Dr. Kobrick holds a Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering (Queen's University, 2002), Master of Space Studies (International Space University, 2003), Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering (Pennsylvania State University, 2005), and Doctor of Philosophy in Aerospace Engineering Sciences (Bioastronautics, University of Colorado at Boulder, 2010). Dr, Kobrick’s Ph.D. dissertation, "Characterization and Measurement Standardization of Lunar Dust Abrasion for Spacecraft Design and Operations," was supported by NASA Glenn Research Center (2007-2010).
Ryan has participated as a crewmember of simulated Mars missions six times including a 100-operational-day simulation on Devon Island (2004-2018).
Dr. Kobrick is active in the global space community contributing to committees in the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), the International Astronautical Federation (IAF), and the Lunar Surface Innovation Consortium (LSIC).
In his free time he plays ice hockey, skis, hikes, mountain bikes, sails/races as much as possible, SCUBA dives, and enjoys photography and film making.
Older text until ~2020
Dr. Ryan L. Kobrick was an Assistant Professor of Spaceflight Operations in the College of Aviation at +Embry Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) in Daytona Beach and Principal Investigator of the ERAU Spacesuit Utilization of Innovative Technology Laboratory (S.U.I.T. Lab). His research, working with students, in the ERAU S.U.I.T. Lab focused on: human performance; assessing the reach and work envelopes for spaceflight intravehicular activity (IVA) using pressure suits and motion capture; surface exploration extravehicular activity (EVA) metrics and spacesuit technologies using analogue research locations; research on lunar dust abrasion and spacecraft design and operations; and global engagement.
Dr. Kobrick received his Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario (2002), his Master's of Space Studies degree from the International Space University in Strasbourg, France (2003), his Master's of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from The Pennsylvania State University (2005) in University Park, PA, and his Doctorate of Philosophy degree in Aerospace Engineering Sciences (focus: Bioastronautics) from the University of Colorado at Boulder (2010) in Boulder, CO.
From 2012-2016 Dr. Kobrick worked at Space Florida as a Project Manager for Research and Development, focusing on Florida research and development efforts including designing statewide business plan and research competitions as well as education programs to catalyze technology development in small satellites, digital manufacturing, and 3D printing. He assisted in developing federal proposal opportunities for Space Florida and potential partners from the academic and business communities. In 2015, Dr. Kobrick was inducted by the +International Astronautical Federation into the Young Space Leaders Recognition Programme.
At CU-Boulder in 2005-2010, Ryan's Ph.D. thesis was titled "Characterization and Measurement Standardization of Lunar Dust Abrasion for Spacecraft Design and Operations". Ryan's dust research was awarded a 2007 NASA Graduate Student Researchers Program (GSRP) award. Ryan was the recipient of the 2006 AIAA Orville and Wilbur Wright Graduate Award, a three-time Achievement Rewards for College Scientists (ARCS) Scholar 2006-2009, and was a 2009 John A. Vise Memorial Scholarship recipient at CU-Boulder. Ryan helped re-start and stabilize the CU-Boulder chapter of the Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (CUSEDS) in 2005, and was an advisor for both SEDS Canada and Mars Society Canada's Exploration Mars (ExMars) Program.
He has worked with the X PRIZE Foundation (2003, 2004 & 2006) developing the follow-on event to the $10 million ANSARI X PRIZE called the X PRIZE Cup (ISU Masters thesis), which aimed at bringing competing spaceship builders to New Mexico annually to compete in different flight categories. Ryan participated as a crewmember in The Mars Society's Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) six times on crews 25 (2004), 44 / ExBeta (2006), 56 / ExGamma (2007), 58 / FMARS Training (2007), and as Commander of the ISU alumni Crew 188 (2018). From his first four MDRS experiences, he was selected for a 100-operational-day Mars mission simulation in the High Canadian Arctic on Devon Island, Nunavut at the Mars Society's Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station (FMARS). On the FMARS Crew 11 Long Duration Mission (F-XI LDM), he facilitated the Human Factors studies for the crew of 7 as well as being a crew engineer.
