Anna Garcia Sabat

Postdoctoral Associate Affiliation: NYU Abu Dhabi
Education: BSc, MSc and PhD BarcelonaTech

Research Areas: Bioengineering, Microgravity, Aerospace Applications, Immunology, Computational Analysis


Anna Garcia-Sabaté is a versatile aerospace engineer turned to bioengineering. She holds a PhD in Computational and Applied Physics from BarcelonaTech (2016) and is currently a post-doctoral associate at New York University Abu Dhabi (UAE).

Dr. Garcia-Sabaté’s scientific interests are focused on microgravity, the acoustic manipulation of two-phase flows (liquid-gas and liquid-solid) and its applications in different fields, specifically in bioengineering and biomedicine. Recently her interests have expanded to understanding the effects of mechanical cues on immune cells, as well as bioprinting.

She participated in several European Space Agency (ESA) programs including Drop Your Thesis! 2010 (drop tower, microgravity), Spin Your Thesis! 2011 and 2012 (centrifuge, hypergravity), and REXUS Sounding Rocket campaign (RX19/20). Anna has also participated in two sounding rocket launches in the frame of NASA’s Flight Opportunities program, Up Aerospace’s SL-8 and SL-9.

In parallel to her research she has taught STEM workshops for primary and high school students to promote space science and technology, and she was also the president and co-founder of the Student European Low Gravity Research Association (SELGRA) in September 2013. She has also been involved in the development of a microgravity platform based on drones. After her PhD she worked as education manager at a makerspace (TechShop Abu Dhabi) learning about advanced manufacturing techniques, developing curriculum and creating partnerships with universities.

Courses Taught

Research Interest

Biomimicking the atherosclerotic microenvironment Effects of simulated microgravity on immune cells.