Jessica Meir, Honorary Doctor of Technology 2020
Swedish-American NASA-astronaut Jessica Meir became famous to the world last year when she carried out three unique spacewalks on the International Space Station (ISS). One of them was the first all-female spacewalk.She is the first woman with Swedish citizenship in space.
Jessica Meir is Swedish-American and also the first Swedish female astronaut. 205 days in space aboard the International Space Station (ISS) and three unique spacewalks totalling almost 22 hours have given Jessica Meir unparalleled practical experience of both setting up and conducting experiments in space as well as being responsible for the maintenance of the complex space lab ISS. During her mission, Jessica has been an inspiration to people all over the world, not least in Sweden, and perhaps especially for students interested in space. Jessica Meir has worked for NASA since 2013 and was appointed Assistant Professor in 2012. She was awarded a Degree of Doctor in Marine Biology in 2009, a Degree of Master of Science in Space Studies in 2000 and a Degree of Bachelor of Arts in Biology in 1999.
We can expect Jessica to pursue a particularly interesting career at NASA. Perhaps she will be one of the first astronauts to return to the Moon in a few years’ time?