Biosciences’ alum Peggy Whitson to speak at May 4 commencement
 

Rice Biosciences’ alumnae Peggy Whitson ‘86, America’s most experienced astronaut, will deliver Rice’s undergraduate commencement address May 4. Whitson, a veteran of three long-duration flights aboard the International Space Station, has spent more time in space – 1 year, 10 months, 1 week and 3 days – than any other woman or American astronaut.

Her storied career in Space City Houston began at Rice, where she studied as a Robert A. Welch Predoctoral Fellow and earned a Ph.D. in biochemistry. Prior to her selection for astronaut training in 1996, Whitson spent 10 years working as a scientist at NASA, in roles that included project scientist for the Shuttle-Mir Program, deputy chief of Johnson Space Center’s Medical Sciences Division and co-chair of the U.S.-Russian Mission Science Working Group.

On her first spaceflight in 2002, Whitson was fittingly named ISS science officer, the first person ever to serve in the role. In addition to commanding the space station on two later expeditions and logging both the most spacewalks (10) and the most time in spacewalks (60 hours) of any woman, Whitson has contributed to hundreds of space station experiments in biology, biotechnology, physics and Earth science.

Whitson is an adjunct professor in Rice's Department of Biosciences and the director of human spaceflight for Houston-based Axiom Space. She added nine days to her time in space in May 2023 when she commanded Axiom’s second crewed mission to the space station.