Jenni Gibbons
Jenni Sidey-Gibbons, wearing her blue Canadian Space Agency uniform bearing the flag of Canada, smiles at the camera, her hands folded.
Gibbons in 2017
Born (1988-08-03) 3 August 1988
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Alma materMcGill University (BSc)
Jesus College, Cambridge (PhD)
Space career
CSA Astronaut
Selection2017 CSA Group
MissionsArtemis II (backup astronaut)

Jennifer Anne MacKinnon Sidey (born 3 August 1988) is a Canadian astronaut, engineer, and academic. She was selected by the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) as one of the two members of the 2017 CSA Group alongside Joshua Kutryk. In 2023, CSA assigned her to be Jeremy Hansen's backup for the Artemis II lunar flyby mission. As of the 2023 CSA Artemis announcement, she goes by her married name, Jenni Gibbons.

Early life and education

Jennifer Anne MacKinnon Sidey was born on 3 August 1988, in Calgary, Alberta.[1][2] She graduated from McGill University with a Bachelor of Engineering with honours degree in mechanical engineering. While she was at McGill, she carried out research in collaboration with the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and the National Research Council Flight Research Laboratory on flame propagation in microgravity.[2]

During her time at McGill, she was part of the McGill Association of Mechanical Engineers (MAME) and the Plumbers' Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO).

She subsequently went on to complete a PhD in engineering at Jesus College, Cambridge in 2015, where she focused on combustion (The process of burning something) under the supervision of Professor Nondas Mastorakos.[1]

Academic career

Prior to joining the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), Gibbons was a lecturer in internal combustion engines at the Department of Engineering of the University of Cambridge. The focus of her research was turbulent flame physics and pollutant reduction in combustion systems.[3] She also taught undergraduate and graduate students in the Energy, Fluid Mechanics and Turbomachinery Division on topics ranging from conventional and alternative energy production to introductory thermodynamics and flame physics. In 2016, she was awarded the Institution of Engineering and Technology's Young Woman Engineer of the Year Award, as well as a Royal Academy of Engineering Young Engineer of the Year Award.

CSA career

Gibbons was selected by the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) to undergo training as an astronaut part of the 2017 CSA Group, the fourth Canadian astronaut recruitment campaign.[4] Gibbons and Joshua Kutryk were selected among a large field of qualified candidates.[5] Gibbons was the third female candidate chosen by the Canadian Space Agency after Roberta Bondar and Julie Payette, and when selected at age 28, was the youngest astronaut candidate ever selected by the Canadian Space Agency.[6]

In July 2017, Gibbons relocated to Houston, Texas, to complete the two-year NASA Astronaut Candidate Training Program at the Johnson Space Center. She was training alongside the 2017 NASA astronaut class.

On 22 November 2023, during a public ceremony at CSA headquarters, Gibbons was assigned as Jeremy Hansen's backup for the Artemis II mission slated to fly no earlier than September 2025.[7][8][9]

References

  1. 1 2 Sidey, J. A. M. (2015). Experimental and numerical investigations of highly preheated and diluted flames (PhD). University of Cambridge. OCLC 1064667170.
  2. 1 2 "Biography of Jenni Gibbons". Canadian Space Agency. Ottawa: King's Printer for Canada. 22 November 2023. Archived from the original on 22 November 2023. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
  3. ↑ "Dr. Jenni A. M. Sidey — CUED Division A". www-diva.eng.cam.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 4 July 2017. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
  4. ↑ Semeniuk, Ivan (3 July 2017). "Pushed to the limits, Canada's two newest astronauts eager for space". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. pp. A1, A10. Retrieved 22 November 2023 – via ProQuest.
  5. ↑ Dunham, Jackie (1 July 2017). "Jennifer Sidey and Josh Kutryk: Canada's two newest astronauts revealed". CTV News. Archived from the original on 1 April 2019. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
  6. ↑ Buckiewicz, Amanda (31 January 2020). "How fire scientist Jenni Sidey-Gibbons became Canada's youngest astronaut". CBC Radio.
  7. ↑ "Canadian Space Agency astronauts Jenni Gibbons and Joshua Kutryk to contribute to future missions, from the International Space Station to the Moon". Cision. Longueuil, Quebec. CNW Group. 22 November 2023. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
  8. ↑ Nassar, Hana Mae (22 November 2023). "Canadian astronauts receive new assignments". CityNews. Vancouver. Archived from the original on 22 November 2023. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
  9. ↑ Foust, Jeff (9 January 2024). "NASA delays Artemis 2 and 3 missions". SpaceNews. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
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