ESP Biography



NICOLAS MEIRHAEGHE, MIT 4th year grad studying space and neuroscience



Major: Health Sciences & Technology

College/Employer: MIT

Year of Graduation: G

Picture of Nicolas Meirhaeghe

Brief Biographical Sketch:

I'm a PhD student in the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences & Technology. Broadly speaking, I'm interested in human and animal adaptability, and how our brains allow us to quickly adjust to different environments, e.g., space. Prior to joining MIT, I studied aerospace engineering at Supaéro (Toulouse, France) and Caltech. During my master's, I studied how gravity affects human performance in simple cognitive tasks. In parallel with my PhD thesis here at MIT, I am involved in parabolic flight studies that emulate the effects of being in space to characterize the impact of microgravity on the body and the brain. I'm looking forward to sharing my experience with students and answering any questions they may have about the being in space!



Past Classes

  (Clicking a class title will bring you to the course's section of the corresponding course catalog)

E13379: The Science of Living in Space in Splash 2019 (Nov. 23 - 24, 2019)
Have you ever wanted to explore what it would be like to actually live in space? What is it like living in "zero" gravity? What would weightlessness do to your body? How would you feel locked up in a small space for months at a time? How does a Zero G ("Vomet Comet") flight work? Come learn about these challenges and more and get an insider's view of what being an astronaut is like.