Christina Birch

Christina Marie Birch (born November 17, 1986) is an American professional racing cyclist and NASA astronaut.

Christina Birch
NASA portrait, 2021
Born	Christina Marie Birch (1986-11-17) November 17, 1986 (age 38) Mesa, Arizona, U.S.
Education	University of Arizona (BS) Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MS, PhD)
Space career
NASA astronaut
Selection	NASA Group 23 (2021)
Scientific career
Fields	Biological engineering
Thesis	Identification of Malaria Parasite-Infected Red Blood Cell Aptamers by Inertial Microfluidics SELEX (2015)
Doctoral advisor	Jacquin Niles

Christina Birch

Medal record
Women's track cycling
Representing  United States
Pan American Championships
	2018 Aguascalientes	Team pursuit
	2019 Cochabamba	Team pursuit
	2018 Aguascalientes	Madison

Early life and career

Birch grew up in Gilbert, Arizona, and graduated from the University of Arizona with a bachelor's degree in mathematics, biochemistry, and molecular biophysics. Birch began cycling with the MIT cycling team while working on her PhD. While at MIT she won the 2014 USA Cycling collegiate cyclocross division two national championship. Birch also represented the JAM Fund cyclocross team from 2011-2015.^[1]

After earning a doctorate in biological engineering from MIT in 2015, Birch moved to Southern California to pursue track cycling full time. She taught bioengineering at the University of California, Riverside, and scientific writing and communication at the California Institute of Technology. On the track, Birch has represented the US at multiple Pan American Championships, World Cups, and World Championships. She competed at the 2018 and 2019 UCI Track Cycling World Championships, and the 2019 Pan American Games.^[2]

Birch was named to the US track cycling 2020 Olympics long team for the USA in June 2020.^[3]

Astronaut candidacy

On December 6, 2021, Birch was formally announced as a NASA astronaut candidate with NASA Astronaut Group 23.^[4]

Major results

2014

National Cyclocross Championships

1st Collegiate Division Two^[5]

2015

National Track Championships

2nd Madison

2016

National Track Championships

1st Individual pursuit

2nd Madison

2nd Points race

2017

National Track Championships

1st Individual pursuit

1st Team pursuit

2nd Madison

2nd Points race

2018

Pan American Track Championships

1st Team pursuit

2nd Madison

National Track Championships

1st Team pursuit

1st Madison

2nd Points race

3rd Omnium

2019

Pan American Track Championships

2nd Team pursuit

National Track Championships

2nd Madison

3rd Points race

2nd Omnium

Personal life

She is a partner of a racing cyclist Ashton Lambie.^[6]