Luis Zea

Dr. Luis Zea is the Chief Scientist at Starlab Space, Founder of Jaguar Space, and an Adjunct Professor in Bioastronautics in the Smead Aerospace Engineering Sciences Department at the University of Colorado Boulder.

He holds a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering sciences with a specialization in bioastronautics from the University of Colorado Boulder. His career spans academia, industry, and entrepreneurship, with experience in both business development and scientific research. As an aerospace engineer and gravitational biology scientist, Dr. Zea has worked on 26 spaceflight experiments, from the Space Shuttle to the International Space Station. He has served as a principal investigator for multiple NASA-funded projects, including experiments conducted in low Earth orbit and aboard Artemis I’s mission around the Moon. Dr. Zea is a co-editor of Springer Nature’s Handbook of Space Pharmaceuticals and served as co-director of Guatemala’s first satellite. His honors include an honorary doctorate, the Karman Fellowship, and the Thora Halstead Award from the American Society for Gravitational and Space Research (ASGSR). He is also a member of ASGSR’s governing board and serves on the organizing committee for the Central American Space Congress. Dr. Zea has advised NASA and the United States National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, contributing to the 2023-2032 Decadal Survey on Biological and Physical Sciences in Space as well as NASA’s science strategy for human exploration of Mars. With expertise in space science, engineering, business development, and lean startups, Dr. Zea is dedicated to ushering in a new era where microgravity fuels innovation and unlocks transformative benefits for industries and humanity alike.