For the past two years, French biomedical engineer Carole Leguy has been working at the German Aerospace Centre (DLR), trying to unravel the effects of space flight on blood-pressure regulation.

It’s an important research topic, she says, because astronauts returning to Earth are unable to regulate their blood pressure, leading to fainting spells and an inability to stand upright. The condition may last for several days depending on the length of their mission.

To further her research, Leguy arrived at SFU in September on a $280,000 Marie Curie International Outgoing Fellowship. She’ll spend two years researching the problem with kinesiologist Andrew Blaber, a space cardiovascular physiology expert, before completing the final year of her fellowship at DLR.

Leguy, who earned her PhD at Eindhoven University in the Netherlands, didn’t plan on a career involving the space program but says, “Space physiology is fascinating.

“You’re going to the limits of the body’s physiology so that you can understand more about physiological phenomena.”

Since arriving at SFU in September, Leguy has learned some new techniques for measuring blood pressure and analyzing its regulation.

She says her two years at SFU also give her the opportunity to build a new network of colleagues and generate new ideas for collaborations to help her establish her own research lab when she returns to Europe.