Astronaut talk with Jenni Gibbons

We are very excited to welcome astronaut Jenni Gibbons from the Canadian Space Agency to give a talk on Wed. Nov. 18th from 12:00 - 1:00 in the Lecture Hall, Room A2206. Coffee and cookies will be served.

Jenni Gibbons studied at McGill University in Montreal, then at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. Prior to joining the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), she worked as an assistant professor in combustion at the Department of Engineering of the University of Cambridge. Through her study of turbulent combustion, fuel characteristics, and gas turbine engines, she worked to reduce harmful pollutants associated with power generation gas turbines.

Jenni Gibbons was selected as an astronaut candidate by the CSA in July 2017. She completed the two-year Astronaut Candidate Training Program and obtained the official title of astronaut in January 2020. Since then, she has continued to serve Canada’s space program as an active astronaut at NASA. She fulfills various technical and operational responsibilities, including in Mission Control, to support spacewalks, commercial vehicle proximity operations, and daily International Space Station operations. In 2023, she was assigned as the official backup astronaut for Jeremy Hansen for Artemis II. She took on multiple roles, serving as a member of the Artemis II closeout crew, acting as Jeremy’s immediate family escort, and working as an Artemis capcom – the critical voice link between ground teams and the crew in space.