Daniela Bezdan
About Daniela Bezdan
Daniela Bezdan is a co-founder and current Chief Scientific Officer at yuri, with extensive experience in scientific research and leadership roles in space biology initiatives. She has held positions at various prestigious institutions, including the European Space Agency and NASA GeneLab, and has a strong academic background in biotechnology and genomics.
Work at Poppy
Daniela Bezdan serves as Co-Founder and Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) member at Poppy since 2020. In this role, she contributes to the strategic direction and scientific initiatives of the organization. Her experience in biotechnology and precision medicine informs her leadership at Poppy, where she focuses on advancing research and development in these fields.
Current Positions
Currently, Daniela Bezdan holds multiple positions. She is a Research Associate at Universitätklinikum Tübingen der Eberhard-Karl-Universität, where she has worked since 2020. Additionally, she serves as Chief Scientific Officer at yuri since 2022 and is a member of the European Space Agency's Topical Team for space omics, also starting in 2020. Furthermore, she co-chairs the NASA GeneLab Microbiome Analysis Working Group, focusing on microbiome research in space environments.
Education and Expertise
Daniela Bezdan has an extensive educational background in biotechnology and genomics. She earned her PhD candidate status at the Max-Planck Institute Tuebingen, focusing on Genome Sciences from 2005 to 2010. She also holds a Dipl.-Ing. in Biotechnology from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory and a Bachelor of Applied Science in Biotechnology Engineering from Mannheim University of Applied Science. Her academic training is complemented by various internships and research positions in leading institutions.
Previous Experience
Daniela Bezdan has held several significant positions prior to her current roles. She was Chief Scientific Officer at Bumrungrad International Hospital for six months in 2019-2020. She also worked as a Senior Research Scientist at the Centre for Genomic Regulation from 2011 to 2016. Her earlier roles include Research Associate at Weill Cornell Medicine and various internships at prestigious institutions such as DKFZ German Cancer Research Center and Kyoto University.
Contributions to Space Biology
Daniela Bezdan has made notable contributions to space biology, particularly through her involvement with NASA and the European Space Agency. She co-chairs the Commercial Spaceflight International Space Station Operations Panel and has been instrumental in establishing biotechnology engineering initiatives in microgravity conditions at yuri GmbH. Her work enhances the understanding of biological sciences in space, particularly through her roles in NASA GeneLab and ESA space omics initiatives.