David J. Burr is a PhD candidate in the Experimental Biophysics and Space Science group at the Department of Physics, Freie Universität Berlin. His background is in extremophilic microbial ecology, completing his MSc at Victoria University of Wellington (New Zealand) in 2014, where he focused on Antarctic sea-ice microbiology. Currently, he is conducting astrobiology research, exploring the biomolecular mechanisms of live microorganisms exposed to conditions in low earth orbit. His work addresses questions in planetary protection and fundamental radiation-biology and will utilize in-situ experimentation on board the International Space Station to investigate microbial survivability, tolerances and cellular responses to the space environment.