Brian Murphy is an accomplished early career planetary scientist and award-winning undergraduate student at the Florida Institute of Technology.  Molded by an upbringing in rural Maryland, Brian has always been drawn toward the stars and knew from a young age that he wanted to pursue a career science and ultimately become an astronaut.  

 

His notable work has consisted of novel research interior and exterior to the Solar System at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and the Florida Institute of Technology, astronautics training and research at the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences, and social advocacy for the LGBTQ+ community through Out Astronaut.  

 

Since 2020, Brian has served as the President of the Astrobiological Research and Education Society (ARES), where he began his professional journey.  Since then, he has grown ARES’ membership and expanded relations with partners like the Mars Society, Kennedy Space Center, University of Central Florida, and Aldrin Space Institute.  He has established multiple research and outreach groups, such as:

 

• Controlled Environment Research and Education Space Lab

• FARMBOT

• Cube-sat Team

• ARES Future Astronaut Corps

 

While working within ARES, Brian joined the Massive Binary Stars Research Group at the Florida Institute of Technology and contributed to observations of high mass objects using telescopes in the Canary Islands, Chile, and Arizona.  He is an active contributor of the work today.  

 

Just a year after his entrance into professional research, Brian had amassed an impressive reputation in the community and was selected for an internship at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, where he modeled Titan’s atmosphere and researched oxygen compound variation.  His visionary perspective, reputation, and boundless curiosity earned him further awards, distinctions, and opportunities, such as:

 

• Astronaut Scholarship Award

• Out Astronaut Award

• Mars Desert Research Station Crew 239 member

• Brooke Owens Fellowship Finalist

 

Juggling his commitments in research, Brian actively seeks avenues for social outreach and advocacy, and has been successful in this pursuit with the Out Astronaut Project.  Through this program, Brian will be trained in advanced astronautics by the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences, conduct novel research in bioastronautics, support LGBTQ+ representation in STEM, and participate in suborbital spaceflights.  

 

At the age of 21, Brian is poised to be a prominent leader in human space flight, research, and social advocacy, and looks forward to a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive STEM field.