Sam is a first-year Ph.D. student in Aerospace Engineering Sciences focused on Bioastronautics working with Dr. James Nabity. His research is on ECLSS automation, looking into how autonomous systems and Robotics can be leveraged for ECLSS operation as a part of the NASA’s Habitats Optimized for Missions of Exploration (HOME) Project. Sam was born and raised in Kobe, Japan. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Kanazawa University in 2018. During his undergraduate career, he interned at JAXA and was involved in the development of JAXA’s ECLSS CO2 removal system. He also conducted research for his undergraduate dissertation on the hydrothermal stability of sorbents used for the CO2 removal system for increasing ECLSS maintainability. To expand his knowledge on human spaceflight, Sam came to CU as an MS student in Fall 2018. In 2019, he interned at NASA and supported the research on noise measurement and mitigation technologies for the ISS. In addition, Sam is also a member of the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC) and is the National Point of Contact for Japan, hoping to pursue human space exploration through international collaboration. Being Japanese, Sam enjoys making sushi and playing Mario Cart. He also enjoys hiking, running, orienteering, playing the guitar, and most importantly, drinking beer.