Scientific career
 

DLR, Institute of Aerospace Medicine, Radiation Biology, Köln, Germany

since 2005    Deputy Head of the Radiation Biology Department
since 1996    Head of the Research Group ‘Astrobiology’
1993 - 1995  Junior research scientist

Max-Planck-Institute for Radiation Chemistry, Mülheim, Germany

1988 - 1992 Head of the research group ‘Radiation Biology’
1988 Scholar of the Max Planck-Society

Education and training

1983 - 1988 Dissertation (Dr. rer. nat.), Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Germany
1977 - 1983 Study of chemistry, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Germany
1968 - 1977 Secondary school (Gymnasium)
1965 - 1968 Primary school

Professional experience

Acquisition, management and scientific realisation of interdisciplinary international research projects in the areas of astrobiology, planetary protection, microbiology and photobiology

Supervision of PhD, diploma, master and bachelor students in the disciplines biology, medicine, mechanical, chemical and medical engineering

Co-Investigator of the follwing international space experiments:

• SURVIVAL I of the missions BIOPAN I and II
• SURVIVAL II of the mission BIOPAN III
• UVRAD of the mission D-2
• REPAIR of the mission IML-2
• KINETICS of the mission IML-2
• UVE of the mission Mir’97
• EXOBIOLOGIE of the mission PERSEUS
• HighRad of the FOTON M-3 mission
• Lithopanspermia of the FOTON M-3 mission
• PROTECT on the EXPOSE-E mission on the ISS
• SPORES on the EXPOSE-R mission on the ISS
• BIOMEX (scheduled for the EXPOSE R-2 mission on the ISS)
• ARBEX (acepted for the ISS)
• BioRock (accepted for the ISS)

Principal Investigator of the follwing international space experiments:

• MARSTOX I of the mission FOTON M-2
• MARSTOX II of the FOTON M-3 mission
• ADAPT on the EXPOSE-E mission on the ISS
• BOSS (scheduled for the EXPOSE-R-2 mission on the ISS)
• TRIPLELUX C (planned for the ISS)

ESA projects:

• since 2011    PP-VERI - Bioburden and Biodiversity Agency-Level Verification Assays
• 2006 – 2011  BioDiv - Bioburden and Biodiversity Evaluation in Spacecraft Facilities and Lifetime Test of a Rapid Spore Assay
• 2003 – 2005  MiDiv - Determination of the Microbial Diversity of Spacecraft Assembly and Testing Facilities

Principal Investigator of the MICHAm experiment in the MARS 500 project

Further professional skills and activities

Member of the European Space Science Committee (ESSC) of the European Science Foundation (ESF) – Solar System and Exploration Panel (SSEP)

Organiser of COSPAR Symposia for the COSPAR Assemblies since 2006
Member of the COSPAR Panel on Exploration (PEX)
Member of the COSPAR Panel on Planetary Protection (PPP)
Organiser of sessions for the IAC (International Astronautical Congres) since 2011

2003 Chief biologist at the MDRS in Utah, USA
2000 Visiting scientist at NASA Ames in California, USA
1996 and 1997 Visiting scientist in Okazaki, Japan

Biosafety officer (BBS) at DLR
Project scientist of a research project with genetically modified organisms
1993 – 2012 Radiation protection supervisor (SSB)
4 patents

Awards

2. Place winner of the award ‚DLR-Competition of Visions’, 2001
Poster award of the symposium Biosensors for Environmental Monitoring: Response to New Analytical Demands, Paris, 11. –14. 04.1999

Membership in Scientific Societies

Ex officio Councillor of the European Astrobioloy Network Association (EANA) and treasurer
Member of the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) and member of the IAA Commission 2: Space Life Sciences
Member of International Astronautical Federation (IAF) Technical Committee: Space Life Sciences

Publications

See Publikationen des Instituts für Luft- und Raumfahrtmedizin and
elib - Publikationen des DLR -> Petra Rettberg