David Baumann serves as the Director of the Human Research Program (HRP) within the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate of NASA. HRP is responsible for mitigating the effects of the space environment on the health and performance of crewmembers aboard current and future space flight exploration missions.  Its work is distributed across five NASA Centers and carried out by researchers in laboratories throughout the nation, aboard the International Space Station (ISS), and in specialized space flight analog facilities around the globe. 

Education 

Mr. Baumann earned a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from Valparaiso University.   

Experience 

Mr. Baumann started his NASA career as a cooperative education student from 1994-1997.  After graduating, he became a permanent employee in the Human Health and Performance Directorate, developing life science hardware and experiments for the ISS’s Human Research Facility.  He subsequently worked in the ISS Program Office and Space Medicine Division before joining HRP in 2007 as a Manager for three separate elements over the following decade:  Exploration Medical Capability, Human Health and Countermeasures, and Space Radiation. In 2018, he served as Acting Deputy Director of the Division of Space Life and Physical Sciences Research and Applications at NASA Headquarters.  From 2019 to 2020, Mr. Baumann served as the Chief Health and Performance Officer for the Human Landing System Program.