Natalie has a B.Sc. in Mechanical engineering from the University of Calgary, where she participated on the University of Calgary solar car team during her degree. She helped design the university’s first car and drove it in the 2005 North American Solar Challenge from Austin, Texas to Calgary. She also obtained a master’s degree in Aerospace engineering from the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies, focusing on experiments to study combustion in a microgravity environment.

Natalie’s love of space and aviation led her to obtain a private pilot’s license to fly single engine aircraft during her undergrad degree. She also participated in internships at NASA Goddard Spaceflight Center, and at the International Space University Space Studies Program at NASA Ames Research Center, working on a mission to Mars. Natalie currently works at MDA Space Missions (of Canadarm legacy) as a Mission Systems and Operations Engineer.