Dr. Dawn Bowles leads a NASA-funded research program at Duke University investigating the effects of spaceflight stressors—particularly microgravity and galactic cosmic radiation—on cardiac biology. Her team utilizes advanced cell and animal models to dissect how these environmental challenges impact molecular pathways involved in cardiac function, remodeling, and disease susceptibility. Building on a series of studies that have characterized the individual effects of microgravity and radiation, the current focus of the laboratory is on understanding how these stressors interact to produce compounded biological effects. This work aims to inform countermeasure development for astronaut health during long-duration missions and provide insights into terrestrial cardiovascular disease mechanisms influenced by environmental stress.