Julie Payette

Astronaut, Canadian Space Agency

Montreal (Quebec), Canada

Julie Payette is an astronaut with the Canadian Space Agency. Before she joined the
Canadian space program in 1992, Julie worked as a computer engineer doing research in
speech processing and understanding natural language. In addition to her astronaut
training schedule, she participates in the development of the Mobile Servicing System
for the International Space Station. She is a technical adviser for the design of its
ground-control station, and she manages several projects designing advanced operator-
machine interfaces for use in space.

According to Julie, "To be granted the opportunity, one day, to work while orbiting the
Earth, to contribute to the pursuit of scientific knowledge, and to be able to see our
world from above is an extraordinary privilege. I look forward to being in space and to
the chance to fly aboard the most sophisticated vehicle ever designed. Most of all, I look
forward to experiencing for myself that indeed, from orbit, you can't see political
borders, but in a truly global fashion, you can help monitor and preserve our beautiful
planet (our only home) for everyone."

In 1980, at the age of 16, Julie received one of six Canadian scholarships to attend the
United World International College of the Atlantic in South Wales, UK. "Atlantic
College helped open my mind and broaden my horizons. I met people from all over the
world and shared incredible experiences. My two years in Wales positively shaped the
person I have become, and I am still driven by the ideals of the college: dedication to
learning, understanding between nations, and commitment to community service."

After her scholarship in the UK, Julie attended McGill University in Montreal where
she received a bachelor of electrical engineering degree and many awards. Following
that, she worked as a technical adviser for IBM Canada, supporting activities involving
advanced UNIX workstations, vector processing applications, and other science and
engineering products.

In 1988, Julie began graduate school at the University of Toronto, where she became
involved in high-performance computer architecture projects and worked part time as a
teaching assistant. After receiving her master of applied science degree, she worked for
a year as a visiting scientist in the Communications and Computer Science Department
of the IBM Research Laboratory in Zurich, Switzerland before returning to Montreal to
join the Speech Research group of Bell-Northern Research. She is now working toward
a doctoral degree in electrical engineering at McGill University. Her research topic is
entitled "Voice Control of Non-critical Systems in Space."

As part of her training as an astronaut, Julie became a pilot and holds a multi-engine
commercial license. She is also an active member of the 99s, an international women
pilots' organization.

Julie's interests include running, skiing, playing racquet sports, scuba diving, and
competing in triathlons. She is a trained pianist and regularly sings as a soprano with
early music ensembles. She also speaks French, English, and Italian, can converse in
Spanish and German, and is learning Russian. Julie is married to a university professor
who shares her passion for sports.