Wessel Endowed Chair Propels Pioneering Program

Philanthropist Helen Wessel was passionate about supporting “smart women and science.” By endowing a chair to support a groundbreaking program, her legacy continues to advance a discipline that merges biology and data science to ensure human safety in environments we have yet to inhabit.

Embry-Riddle launched its Aerospace Physiology degree in 2017, exploring how the human body responds to flight’s unique challenges — high altitudes, acceleration, ionizing radiation and microgravity. Central to the program’s success is the Omics Lab for Health and Human Performance, a training ground for molecular biology scientists. Omics delves into an organism’s biological makeup to gain insights into genes, proteins and metabolite functions.

Recognizing the value of this research, AdventHealth, a Florida-based healthcare provider, collaborates with Embry-Riddle’s Human Factors faculty, offering clinical experience for undergraduates. Halifax Health also partners with the program, and during the pandemic, student volunteers assisted with vaccine distribution.

Philanthropy as a Catalyst

Thanks to the Dr. Robert H. Wessel and Dr. Helen M. Wessel Endowed Chair for Aerospace Physiology, Embry-Riddle welcomed a distinguished researcher whose connections to NASA and government research opened doors for students.

Assistant Professor Amber Paul, Ph.D., joined as the first Embry-Riddle Wessel Fellow. Although she never met Helen Wessel, Paul appreciates how her gifts to the Daytona Beach Campus encompass both art and science.

Paul proved an ideal fit for the role. She completed postdoctoral training at NASA Ames Research Center as a Universities Space Research Association fellow and is a visiting scholar at the Blue Marble Space Institute of Science. Her academic credentials include a B.S. in Immunology from the University of Alberta, a B.A. from Duquesne University and a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the University of Southern Mississippi.

As director of the Omics Lab for Health and Human Performance, Paul has equipped students with essential molecular biology tools and techniques. Arriving in fall 2021, she began building the Omics Lab from scratch. “There were two freezers, a cell culture hood and a sequencing computer,” she recalls. “The first thing I did was put down tape where benches would be — we’ve come a long way.”

Today, the lab conducts research on immunological aging, inflammation in extreme environments and the impact of spaceflight on hormonal function. Recently, the Omics Lab participated in the Polaris Dawn spaceflight mission through a multi-collaborative effort to study the effects of high-altitude orbit spaceflight on human physiology at cellular and molecular levels. 

Paul’s research passion lies in exploring how genetics, extreme environments and social isolation impact the immune system. “Studying astronauts exposed to the extreme environments of spaceflight offers a unique platform to track when and how the immune system is altered. This can reveal immune pathways that might not be easily identified in terrestrial medicine.”

Interdisciplinary Learning and Collaboration

The Aerospace Physiology program emphasizes multidisciplinary exploration, drawing from biology, mathematics, physics and chemistry to enhance statistical testing and data visualization. Paul collaborates regularly with colleagues to assess biosensors and research neurobehavioral outcomes in simulated space conditions.

The Omics Lab also serves as a hub for bioinformatics, integrating complex biological data with data science. “There’s a lot of data science and analytics work at Embry-Riddle, but focusing on integrating biology and data analytics is new here,” she explains. “This tool is valuable for molecular biology, and it is also relevant for space biology programs like NASA GeneLab, which requires bioinformaticians to process data. That translates to career potential for our students.”

Leveraging her NASA connections, Paul helped recruit bioinformatics expert and recently appointed tenure-track faculty, Cassandra Juran, Ph.D., who is enhancing “wet lab with computer science.” Her new bioinformatics course has already attracted nearly 20 students.

Paul’s dedication extends beyond the classroom. She maintains strong working relationships with students, helping them secure prestigious internships and co-authoring papers with recent graduates.

As a co-investigator on a NASA Human Research Program grant, Paul explores neurobehavioral outcomes following simulated space radiation and microgravity conditions in rodent models. “Every year, we visit Brookhaven National Labs, a government radiation laboratory focused on nuclear and particle research,” she says. “Students gain the opportunity to conduct research at external institutions, expanding their network and career development.”

As the first graduates establish their careers, Paul’s vision of students working at aerospace companies, hospitals and top research laboratories is becoming a reality. It is a point of pride that two Aerospace Physiology students have interned in the highly competitive Space Life Sciences Training Program at NASA Ames.

Graduates are gaining hands-on experience in space health, neuroscience, cardiovascular and immune studies in private and government labs. Several are pursuing advanced degrees and others are stepping into industry roles, contributing to human systems integration and applied health. From cutting-edge research to real-world applications, these students are shaping the future of aerospace physiology and beyond.