DrAnna-Lisa Paul

Anna-Lisa Paul is a plant molecular biologist; she is a Research Professor in the IFAS department of Horticultural Sciences, Director of UF’s Interdisciplinary Center for Biotechnology Research (ICBR), and part of the UF Astraeus Space Institute leadership. Paul’s research is focused on plant gene expression in response to spaceflight environments (orbital and suborbital), along with terrestrial research relevant to planetary exploration, including space agriculture. She has worked with true lunar regolith from the Apollo era to evaluate plant molecular responses to growing in regolith from the Apollo missions, and has conducted planetary analog research in Antarctica and in the Canadian High Arctic (Haughton Crater). Paul has been active in the spaceflight research community for over 25 years, and she has served that community with many roles, including as president of the American Society for Gravitational and Space Research, as a member of the ISS Standing Review Board, on NASA’s GeneLab Science Council, and on CSF’s Suborbital Applications Research Group advisory board. Paul currently serves on two National Academies Committees: The Committee on Biological and Physical Sciences in Space (CBPSS), and as the Co-Chair of the Human Exploration of Mars Panel on Biological and Physical Sciences and Human Factors. Paul is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and a Fellow of the American Society for Gravitational and Space Research (ASGSR). She is a recipient of the NASA Medal of Honor for Exceptional Scientific Achievement. Paul’s fundamental belief is that humans are explorers, and when we leave Earth’s orbit, plants will help us make the journey.