Oliver Ullrich is Full Professor and Chair of Anatomy / Gravitational Biology and Cell Biomechanics, University of Zurich (UZH), Professor of Space Biotechnology, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Germany, Professor of Space Medicine, EAH Jena, Germany, Adjunct Professor, Beijing Institute of Technology, Academician of the International Academy of Astronautics, Member of the executive board / German Society for Aerospace Medicine, member and chair of different advisory boards for aerospace agencies and companies, and recipient of several research and teaching awards, such as the Albrecht-Ludwig-Berblinger Award of Aerospace Medicine.

He is an active investigator for the European, German and U.S. space life sciences research program and has more than 12 years of experience as scientific leader of 19 parabolic flight research missions, 6 suborbital and 6 orbital missions, including experiments on the International Space Station (ISS). He is initiator and Director of the Swiss Parabolic Flight Program and Director of the UZH Innovation Cluster “Space and Aviation” (UZH Space Hub).

Oliver Ullrich obtained degrees in medicine and biochemistry at the Free University Berlin. He obtained his MD from the Humboldt-University Berlin and his PhD in biochemistry from the Free University Berlin, both in 1998. He stayed as a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Cell- and Neurobiology at the Institute of Anatomy, Medical Faculty Charité, Humboldt University Berlin. Oliver Ullrich then became group leader at the same institute in 2000, from which he also received the venia legendi in anatomy and cell biology in 2002. Before moving to Switzerland, he was promoted to Professor of Molecular Immunology of the Institute of Immunology, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg in 2003. His research is funded by the German Aerospace Center and the European Space Agency.