David Saint-Jacques
From The Space Library
 David Saint-Jacques | |
| Birth Name | David Saint-Jacques |
|---|---|
| Birth Date | Jan 6 1970 |
| Occupation | CSA Astronaut, (ENG., Ph.D., M.D.) |
Contents |
Personal Data
Born on January 6, 1970, in Quebec City, Canada, and raised in Saint-Lambert near Montreal, Canada. He is married and has one child. He is a lifelong mountaineer, cyclist, skier and passionate sailor. He also holds a commercial pilot license. Saint-Jacques is fluent in English and French and has basic knowledge of Russian, Spanish and Japanese.
Education
Saint-Jacques earned a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Engineering Physics from ecole polytechnique de Montreal, Canada (1993). He earned a Ph.D. in Astrophysics from Cambridge University, UK (1998), where his studies included theoretical work on astronomical observation and design, fabrication and commissioning of instruments for the Cambridge Optical Aperture Synthesis Telescope and for the William Herschel Telescope in the Canary Islands. He earned his M.D. from Universite Laval in Quebec City, Canada (2005), and completed his family medicine residency at McGill University in Montreal, Canada (2007), where his training focused on first-line, isolated medical practice.
Experience
Prior to joining the Canadian Space Program, Saint-Jacques was a medical doctor and the Co-chief of Medicine at Inuulitsivik Health Centre in Puvirnituq, Canada, an Arctic village on Hudson Bay. He also worked as a Clinical Faculty Lecturer for McGill University's Faculty of Medicine, supervising medical trainees in Nunavik. Saint-Jacques began his career as a biomedical engineer, working on the design of radiological equipment for angiography. His broad scientific background also includes astrophysics and medical training. His postdoctoral research included the development and application of the Mitaka Infrared Interferometer in Japan and the Subaru Telescope Adaptive Optics System in Hawaii (1999 to 2001), after which he joined the Astrophysics group at Universite de Montreal. His international experience also includes engineering study and work in France and Hungary and medical training in Lebanon and Guatemala.
Spaceflight Experience
NASA/CSA EXPERIENCE: Saint-Jacques was selected in May 2009 by the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and has moved to Houston to be one of 14 members of the 20th NASA astronaut class. He recently graduated from Astronaut Candidate Training that included scientific and technical briefings, intensive instruction in International Space Station systems, Extravehicular Activity (EVA), robotics, physiological training, T-38 flight training, Russian language and water and wilderness survival training. Since graduation, he has been assigned to the Robotics Branch of the Astronaut Office. In October 2011, he will participate in the underwater mission, NEEMO 15 (NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations).
Organizations
College des medecins du Quebec, College of Family Physicians of Canada, Ordre des ingenieurs du Quebec, International Society for Optical Engineering, Life Fellow of the Cambridge Philosophical Society
Special Honours
Canada Millennium Scholarship (2001 to 2005), Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Post doctoral Fellowship (1999 to 2001), Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada "1967" Science and Engineering Scholarship (1994 to1998), Canadian Space Agency Supplement Scholarship (1994 to 1998), Cambridge Commonwealth Trust Honorary Scholar (1994 to 1998), United Kingdom Overseas Research Student Award (1994 to 1998), Canada Scholarship (1989 to 1993)
Other Information
Oct-11
