Dr. Ivkovic was born in Zagreb, completed his undergraduate studies in Vienna, graduate studies at the University of Zagreb (MSc), International Space University in Strasbourg and NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston (MSc), and University of Houston (PhD). He completed postdoctoral training at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston. Dr. Ivkovic is a translational neuroscientist, integrative physiologist, and former firefighter/EMT. His research focuses on applying portable brain imaging and physiology monitoring for assessment and optimization of health and performance in extreme environments, and translation of these tools into clinical / operational practice. These include International Space Station, NASA/ESA microgravity (zero-G) flights, NASA’s Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA), Antarctic research stations (Concordia, Neumeyer), operational firefighting (Boston Fire Department), as well as clinical emergency medical and psychiatric settings. He currently serves as a principal investigator on NASA’s CIPHER project – the largest biomedical study in spaceflight ever conducted – as well as other studies funded by NASA and U.S. Veterans Administration. Dr. Ivkovic taches academic courses and mentors students at the undergraduate and graduate levels at Harvard University, Harvard Medical School, and Boston College. He maintains close ties with native Croatia through collaborations with Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing (FER), Zagreb Fire Department, Petrinja Fire Department, and through active involvement with Association of Croatian American Professionals (ACAP). In that capacity, Dr. Ivkovic served as the emergency response coordinator for ACAP’s One Croatia initiative providing support to emergency services and hospitals following 2020 earthquakes in Zagreb and on Banovina.