Amelie Karin Josephine Schoenenwald was selected as a reserve astronaut for the European Space Agency in November 2022. Emerging from a rigorous recruitment cycle that screened 22,500 applicants, she joined a group of 17 individuals chosen to support the organization's strategic goals in space flight, combining her technical background in biochemistry with an advanced business education.
Academic Background
Schoenenwald began her higher education at the Technical University of Munich in 2009. Over the next six years, she earned a bachelor's degree in molecular biotechnology, followed by master's degrees in industrial biotechnology and biochemistry. In 2020, she completed a doctorate in integrative structural biology at the Medical University of Vienna. Under the guidance of advisor Tim Skern at the Max Perutz Labs, her dissertation focused on the engineering of specific antibodies for the Usutu virus. During her doctoral studies in 2017, she secured funding from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute to participate in a course at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York.
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Before her selection by the European Space Agency, Schoenenwald held roles in biotechnology and healthcare management. Between 2020 and 2021, she served as a business development and process manager for a German healthcare firm, following a period of consulting for an Austrian-German private university. Her business expertise was formalised in 2021 when she obtained a Master of Business Administration from the Collège des ingénieurs. During 2021 and 2022, she operated as a freelance consultant for multiple German start-up companies. By the time of her 2022 astronaut selection, she was employed as a medical expert manager.
Engagement with Aerospace
Schoenenwald’s interest in space exploration predates her career as a researcher. In 2016, she was one of 120 candidates selected for the initial phase of Die Astronautin, a private program intended to send the first German woman to the International Space Station. In 2025, she received recognition for her contributions to the sector through her selection as a Karman Project Fellow. Fluent in German, French, Spanish, English, and Norwegian, she maintains her status as a reserve member of the European Astronaut Corps.
Fast facts
- Born: 1989, Landau an der Isar, Germany
- Education: Technical University of Munich, Medical University of Vienna, Collège des ingénieurs
- Doctorate: Integrative structural biology, 2020
- ESA Selection: November 2022
- Languages: German, French, Spanish, English, Norwegian
- Occupations: Astronaut, researcher, medical expert manager
- Fellowship: Karman Project Fellow, 2025
Questions readers ask
What is Amelie Schoenenwald's role within the European Space Agency?
She is a reserve astronaut, having been selected as part of the 2022 European Space Agency Astronaut group.
What was the focus of her doctoral research?
She studied integrative structural biology at the Medical University of Vienna, writing her dissertation on engineering specific antibodies for the Usutu virus.
Achievements
- Recorded as astronaut and researcher
