Irene Schneider, MS

Irene Schneider, MS is Founder & CEO of ISE – Ihrenes Space Enterprises. With a superb team of experts, ISE is the first commercial scientific consulting firm to specialize in offering comprehensive space radiation protection, space radiation mission planning, and dosimetry projections for human commercial space missions.
 
Irene was born in Madrid, Spain, and is of German Nationality. She got 2nd place in the Spanish national university entry exams (Selectividad) in the field of pure sciences and went on to study pure physics at the Universidad Autonoma in Madrid. She continued her studies in the USA. to graduate with a Bachelor in Science in Physics (with honors) from the University of South Florida, Tampa. She was nominated “Student of the Year” in 1998 by the American Physical Society and was later awarded a research internship at the Fermi National Laboratory near Chicago, Illinois, the USA.
 
Following this, she won another scholarship to attend the CERN Particle Accelerator School in Geneva, Switzerland. She then earned a full doctoral research award in the field of Nuclear Physics at the Nuclear Physics Institute in the Netherlands. Irene possesses 2.5 years of Doctoral research in the field of Nuclear Physics with Doctoral scholarship awarded by the University of Groningen, The Netherlands. Her Ph.D. was not completed due to problems with the experimental set up and Irene decided to move on to accept an invite to audit and follow courses at the University of Pennsylvania, in the USA at the Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, where she studied reactor systems and health physics tackling as well briefly nuclear powered space systems.
 
As her passion lied within space, she transferred her acquired knowledge in the nuclear sciences and space sciences leading her to propose her thesis as a junction in between both fields and on planetary space radiation environments, an innovative thesis completed at the University of Pennsylvania, the USA.
 
Irene holds a Master’s degree in Geosciences from the Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) with a specialty in space radiation environments and planetary habitability. Her research was focused around the radiation environments on the Moon and Mars, and its effects on long term human space missions in collaboration with. Dr. Francis Cucinotta, world renowned space radiation expert and Chief Radiation Officer at the NASA Johnson Space Center Professor and emeritus professor James Kasting, a world recognized authority in planetary habitability. She also holds a BS in Physics (with honors) from the University of South Florida (USF).
 
Amongst other professional roles, Irene is currently an independent advisor to the Aerospace Medicine Center for the Spanish Air force, in Madrid, and has acted as expert consultant as Chief Radiation Officer for the NASA funded full scale lunar analogue, together with project lead Pablo de Leon. A simulation lunar base designed and constructed by the University of North Dakota, Department of Space Studies (UND), and which was finalized by the end of 2013.
 
Irene has been an invited speaker as well at prestigious scientific meetings and conferences such as the RAMS / NATO STO 2016 and 2017, and AIAA 40th International Conference on Environmental Systems. She has been an invited panel speaker at Newspace 2011 at NASA Ames including other public outreach oriented events such as the “The Advanced Space Suit Symposium” at the Mars Society International convention; the Solar System offered by La Caixa scientific foundation in Spain, Madrid Center for Astrobiology research CAB-NASA; and World Space Week 2014 Round table debate on planet Mars, NASA-Inta Madrid MDSCC in Spain.
 
Irene has been invited as special scientific guest on the national popular TV show “Cuarto Milenio” which broadcasts as into South America amongst her latest public appearances. She is a regular invited guest at The Space Show, a world renowned web based radio show where prominent space personalities are interviewed to discuss current space issues. She has been featured on ABC News, Telemundo “Al Rojo Vivo” Channel 10 News, quoted on the United Press International, The NASA Astrobiology network, the Astrobiology network, the post Chronicle, and other scientific related press.
 
She has served as independent advisor to the Spanish Airforce Aerospace Medicine Center in matters of space issues and has been a member of the AIAA, The American Geophysical Union, The American Nuclear Society, The Planetary Society, The American Institute of Physics (Sigma Phi Sigma), The National Space Society (NSS), The Space Frontier Foundation (SFF), and has 13 hours of flying lessons, and she is as a certified PADI scuba diver.
 
View her Facebook page. Read her LinkedIn profile.