Brian Prejean (’18 PhD, Kinesiology) came to UTA to learn the craft of human performance science. He didn’t expect the work would lead him to NASA.
At KBR Inc., an engineering company that provides contractual services to NASA, Dr. Prejean works with engineers to develop exercise equipment for long-duration spaceflights. His education prepared him for collaborating on a project for NASA’s Human Physiology, Performance, Protection, and Operations Lab. He works to minimize mass and volume while developing exercise equipment that combines resistance and aerobic exercise capabilities in a weightless environment.
“I’m really excited to operate in a field like this, particularly at a time when we’re trying to do more with lunar and deep space exploration,” he says.
A former personal trainer, Prejean came to UTA to become a human performance scientist. As a graduate student, he studied kinesiology and exercise science/biomechanics and helped lead UTA’s Applied Biomechanics Lab. His doctoral research focused on running and adaptive-throwing biomechanics.
As a teaching assistant, he was exposed to a broad range of learning opportunities, including hands-on work with state-of-the-art equipment.
“Most of the equipment I learned to use at UTA is almost the exact same as what we have at NASA,” says Prejean.
