Judith Hayes

Judith Hayes was inducted into the College of Applied Human Sciences Hall of Fame in the fall of 2025. She was previously inducted into the College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences Hall of Fame in 2009 and was recognized as the College’s Outstanding Alumna in 2014.

Hayes earned Bachelor of Science (1982) and Master of Science (1983) degrees in exercise physiology from West Virginia University. She later completed a Master of Public Health in occupational health/aerospace medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and a Ph.D. in organizational leadership from Our Lady of the Lake University. She also completed study at the Royal College of Surgeons of England in epidemiology/international health care.

Hayes joined NASA’s Johnson Space Center in 1984. She established the Exercise Physiology Laboratory in 1987 and helped develop the exercise countermeasures program used on the International Space Station, drawing on shuttle-era human performance studies and head-down bed-rest analog research to address muscle and bone loss in microgravity.

Her leadership roles included Branch Chief for Biomedical Research and Operations. She later served as Deputy Division Chief and then Chief of the Human Adaptation and Countermeasures Division, and as Chief of the Biomedical Research and Environmental Sciences Division. In 2023, she became Chief Science Officer for the Human Health and Performance Directorate at Johnson Space Center. She also directed the Space Life Sciences Summer Institute and led postdoctoral programs for the Human Research Program.

Her professional service includes affiliations with the American College of Sports Medicine, American Public Health Association, National Management Association, and the Aerospace Medical Association’s Space Medicine Branch. Her recognitions include NASA’s Silver Snoopy Award, NASA Superior Achievement Awards, and multiple NASA Special and Group Achievement Awards.