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Astronaut candidate's profile

The candidates participating in the astronaut selection process all have unique journeys and outstanding qualities and skills. You can read their remarkable profiles here.

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Lee, Peter H.U.

Peter H.U. Lee

Where were you born?
Germany

Where do you currently live?
Dublin, Ohio, USA

Education

  • Bachelor's, neuroscience – Brown University
  • Doctorate, medicine – Brown University
  • Master's, public health – Harvard University
  • Master's, space studies – International Space University
  • Ph.D., pathobiology – Brown University

Photo of the astronaut candidate during the aptitude tests. (Credit: Canadian Space Agency)

What is your current job?

Assistant professor of surgery, cardiothoracic surgeon and research scientist - I advise, teach, and mentor students and surgical residents at the Medical School. I teach about surgical diseases, how to do scientific research, and how to operate on the heart and lungs. I also operate on patients with heart and lung diseases and perform surgeries such as heart bypass, heart transplantation, lung transplantation, and implantation of heart pumps. Finally, I run my own scientific laboratory, doing research in tissue engineering, gene therapy, and stem cells. I have also had several experiments fly in space aboard the Space Shuttle and now the International Space Station.

Why do you want to become an astronaut?

I have wanted to become an astronaut ever since I was a small boy. I am not only fascinated by the wonders and mysteries of space, but I am also an explorer and curious by nature. It is my desire to be a part of something much greater than I am and to contribute to the exploration and expansion of space. In addition to what I could do in space as an astronaut, I also want to be an ambassador to the world for the space program and my country, encouraging innovation, imagination, and critical thinking, especially among the youth.

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