James A. Pawelczyk

James A. Pawelczyk is an Associate Professor of Physiology and Kinesiology at Penn State University, affiliated with the Department of Kinesiology, Department of Medicine, and the Penn State Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI). His research focuses on the neural control of circulation, skeletal muscle blood flow dynamics during exercise and spaceflight, and metabolic syndrome-related cardiovascular and neurocognitive impacts.

• Education: PhD in Biology (University of North Texas, 1989), MS in Physiology (Penn State, 1985), BA in Biology/Psychology (University of Rochester, 1982)

Research interests include:

• Neurovascular coupling mechanisms in metabolic syndrome
• Cardiovascular adaptation to microgravity and spaceflight
• Age-related vascular function decline in women
• Hypercapnia effects on astronaut performance
• Metabolic syndrome and respiratory dysfunction links

2025 publications highlight dyspnea risk in pediatric populations post-pulmonary embolism and fNIRS-based neurovascular coupling analysis, while 2024 works examine TriNetX-driven metabolic syndrome-cognitive decline associations and CO₂ exposure impacts on spaceflight readiness. His work contributes to SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being).

Grants: Principal Investigator for 2006-2007 NASA-related project on orthostatic tolerance improvement in women using octreotide and hemodynamic monitoring.

Labs/teams: Collaborates with Penn State's Huck Institute of the Life Sciences, NASA researchers, and interdisciplinary medical teams at Penn State College of Medicine.