Name: Francis A. Cucinotta
Academic Title: PhD
Position: Chair Professor
Email: gmzhou@suda.edu.cn
Address: 402-2222, North District of Dushuhu Campus
Contact Phone: +86 512 65884829
I. Educational and Professional Experience
1. Educational Background：
1983.09-1988.08 Old Dominion University, Ph.D. in Physics
1979.09-1983.01 Rutgers University, B.S. in Physics
2. Professional Experience：
2013-Present: University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV, Professor
2005-2013: NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX, Chief Scientist (Space Radiation Program)
1997-2005: NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX, Project Scientist & Radiation Health Officer
1995-2006: Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, Visiting Scientist (The Oncology Center)
1990-1997: NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA, Senior Research Scientist
1989-1990: Rockwell International, Houston, TX, Research Scientist
1988-1989: DOE Environmental Measurements Laboratory, New York, NY, Research Scientist
Ⅱ. Research Focus
1. Radiation biophysics and microdosimetry (heavy ions, protons)
2. Space radiation risk assessment (cancer, central nervous system effects, cataracts)
3. Mathematical modeling of DNA damage response and repair pathways
4. Charged particle radiation effects in oncology and space exploration
5. TGFβ-ATM signaling cross-talk in low-dose radiation responses
Ⅲ. Project/Honor/Award
1. Research Projects
DE-AI02-09ER64088, Systems Biology Model of Interactions between Tissue Growth Factors and DNA Damage Pathways, Department of Energy, 09/01/10-06/30/16, PI
NASA Human Research Program, Space Radiation Risk Assessment, 10/01/11-07/30/13, PI
NASA Office of Space Science, Radiation Assessment Detector for Mars 2009 Surface Mission, 05/01/10-04/30/15, Co-PI (PI: Hassler D)
NASA Human Research Program, NASA Study of Cataracts in Astronauts (NASCA), 01/30/2004-09/30/2009, Co-PI (PI: Chylack DT)
2. Honors & Awards
2013: NASA One NASA Peer Award
2013: NASA Group Achievement Award (Lunar Architecture Team)
2012: NASA JSC Software of the Year Award (NSCR-2012)
2012: NASA 2nd Place Software of the Year Award (NSCR-2012)
2009: NASA Group Achievement Award (U.S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee)
2008: NASA Group Achievement Award (Exploration Systems Architecture Team)
2006: NASA Special Scientific Achievement Award (Cataract Risk Discovery Team)
2006: NASA TGIR Award (Radiation Shielding Design Methods Team)
2002: NASA Silver Snoopy Award
2001: NASA Space Flight Awareness Award
2001: NASA Group Achievement Award (Mars Odyssey MARIE Experiment Team)
1993, 1995: NASA Superior Achievement Awards
1991: NASA Langley Research Center Superior Accomplishment Award
1985-1988: NASA Graduate Student Fellowship Award
Ⅳ. Academic Part-time Roles & Student Guidance Outcomes
2011-2015: Radiation Research Society, President/Vice-President/President-elect/Past President
2006-2012: International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP), Sub-Committee on Space Radiation Protection
2003-2006: Radiation Research Society, General Councilor/Councilor-at-Large
2003-2006: M.D. Anderson Proton Therapy Center, External Scientific Advisory Panel
2001-2007: National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP), Working Group Council Member
1999-2005: International Space Station, Multi-lateral Medical Operations Panel (Co-Chair, Radiation Health)
2000-2003: University of Houston, TX, Adjunct Faculty (Physics Department)
1998-2000: Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, Adjunct Faculty (Nuclear Engineering)
1992-1998: Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA, Adjunct Faculty (Physics)
1993-1994: Christopher Newport University, Newport News, VA, Instructor in Mathematics
1991-1992: Christopher Newport University, Newport News, VA, Adjunct Faculty
Ⅴ. Recent Five-Year Representative Research Outcomes
1. Francis A. Cucinotta. Modeling Clustered DNA Damage by Ionizing Radiation Using Multinomial Damage Probabilities and Energy Imparted Spectra. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2024, 25(23), 12532.
2. Francis A. Cucinotta, Olga A. Smirnova. Effects of Partial-Body, Continuous/Pulse Irradiation at Dose Rates from FLASH to Conventional Rates on the Level of Surviving Blood Lymphocytes: Modeling Approach. I. Continuous Irradiation. Radiation Research, 2024, 201(6): 535-545.
3. Francis A. Cucinotta, Premkumar B. Saganti. Residual radiation risk disparities across sex and race or ethnic groups for lifetime never-smokers on lunar missions. Life Sciences in Space Research, 2024, 40, 72-80.
4. Francis A. Cucinotta. Non-targeted effects and space radiation risks for astronauts on multiple International Space Station and lunar missions. Life Sciences in Space Research, 2024, 40, 166-175.
5. Francis A. Cucinotta, Sungmin Pak. Cancer and circulatory disease risks for the largest solar particle events in the space age. Life Sciences in Space Research, 2024, 40, 1-7.
6. Francis A. Cucinotta, Olga A. Smirnova. Effects of Flash Radiotherapy on Blood Lymphocytes in Humans and Small Laboratory Animals. Radiation Research, 2023, 199(3): 240-251.
7. Francis A. Cucinotta. Flying without a Net: Space Radiation Cancer Risk Predictions without a Gamma-ray Basis. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2022, 23(8), 4324.
8. Francis A. Cucinotta, Premkumar B. Saganti. Race and ethnic group dependent space radiation cancer risk predictions. Scientific Reports, 2022, 12(1), 2028.
9. Francis A. Cucinotta, Walter Schimmerling, Eleanor A. Blakely, Tom K. Hei. A proposed change to astronaut exposures limits is a giant leap backwards for radiation protection. Life Sciences in Space Research, 2021, 31, 59-70.
10. Sungmin Pak, Francis A. Cucinotta. Comparison between PHITS and GEANT4 Simulations of the Heavy Ion Beams at the BEVALAC at LBNL and the Booster Accelerator at BNL. Life Sciences in Space Research, 2021, 29, 38-45.