Rebecca Brocato

Rebecca (Becky) Brocato began her career as an aerospace engineer at the U.S. Army’s Yuma Proving Ground, testing parachutes for aerial delivery. In addition to Army development efforts, her role included high-altitude testing of the parachute designed for NASA’s X-38 Crew Return Vehicle.

Following graduate school, Brocato began a decade-long tenure at the U.S. Army Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, developing medical strategies to counter the effects of highly infectious viruses such as hantaviruses and coronaviruses. She joined NASA’s Human Research Program in 2021.

Brocato received a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from Saint Louis University in Missouri, a master’s degree in space studies from the University of North Dakota, and a doctorate in microbiology and immunology from Tulane University in New Orleans.