Annie Shelton

Deep Space Food Consortium • Head, Science & Research

Annie Shelton is a multidisciplinary scientist dedicated to advancing agriculture and technology for resilient, nutritious, and scalable food production in lunar, Martian, microgravity, and Earth-based systems. With over eight years of experience across academia, government, industry, and nonprofit sectors, she has led projects in plant physiology, mycology, biological systems engineering, mission design, and human space exploration. Her work includes developing spaceflight payloads, creating NASA-approved agricultural technologies, directing the first oyster mushroom cultivation experiment in space, contributing to the Artemis mission, and co-leading Nolux’s running up winning place in NASA’s Deep Space Food Challenge. Annie holds a Master’s degree in Integrative Plant Science with a concentration in Controlled Environment Agriculture from Cornell University and a B.S. in Neuroscience and Plant Biology from the University of California, Riverside. As a Gates Cambridge Scholar and PhD candidate in Plant Sciences at the University of Cambridge, Annie works with the Circadian Transduction Group and the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plants for Space to advance crop production systems by aligning plant circadian rhythms with environmental conditions. As Co-Founder and Director of Science and Research for the Deep Space Food Consortium, Annie combines deep scientific research with practical systems innovation to address food security challenges and support sustainable human life on and beyond Earth.

Events

International Astronautical Congress 2026

5 - 9 October 2026

Antalya, Türkiye

Participation: