Ryan Kobrick started off with a Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering and then went on to get 2 Master’s degrees – one in Space Studies from the International Space University and the other in Aerospace Engineering before finishing things up with a Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) in Aerospace Engineering Sciences in Bioastronautics at University of Colorado at Boulder.
People like Dr. Kobrick who study long enough in college get a degree called a PhD, or Doctorate of Philosophy and earn the title “Doctor.” This isn’t the same as a Medical Doctor (MD), with which you may be more familiar, also called “Dr.” who we go to see to help us when we are sick. An MD studies a long time about health and medicine and is recognized as an expert in the field of Medicine. The PhD means he has studied long enough in a particular area or field to be recognized as an expert. Dr. Kobrick is an expert in Aerospace Engineering.
Yes, Dr. Kobrick went to school for a long time to help him be the expert he is today, but many years of schooling is not the only thing that makes him an expert. Dr. Kobrick used what he learned in school and applied it to the many places he has worked. He’s worked for NASA and even been a teacher at a college. Now he works for a company called Paragon Space Development Corporation where he works on life support systems for extreme environments like space and many places right here on Earth.
Here are just a few of the projects Dr. Kobrick has worked with: MOVE: Modal Optimized Vibration dust Eliminator (lunar dust mitigation), the Dynetics Human Landing System (DHLS) Environmental and Control Life Support System’s (ECLSS) Atmospheric Monitoring Subsystem (AMS) and Fire Suppression Subsystem (FSS). Dr. Kobrick also supports the habitation and logistics outpost (HALO) for the NASA Gateway Program, assisting the ECLSS AMS and Ventilation IPTs as well as dust mitigation concerns.
Giving back to our communities by volunteering our knowledge to make the world a better place to live is just as important as going to school and/or work. Dr. Kobrick gives back by being active in the global space community contributing to committees in the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and the International Astronautical Federation (IAF).
Nice to meet you Dr. Ryan Kobrick!