Dominik Pesta is a Professor of Translational Metabolism at the Medical Faculty of the University of Cologne and Acting Head of the Department of Metabolism and Human Performance at the German Aerospace Center (DLR), Institute of Aerospace Medicine. He previously served as a Senior Postdoctoral Fellow at the German Diabetes Center in Düsseldorf and held an Erwin Schrödinger Fellowship from the Austrian Science Fund for research at Yale University, New Haven, CT.

Professor Pesta investigates how exercise modulates energy metabolism and mitochondrial function across physiological and pathological conditions. His research focuses on physical activity as a countermeasure to spaceflight-induced deconditioning and as an effective strategy for the prevention and treatment of metabolic disorders, including obesity and type 2 diabetes.

Duality of interest: None declared

Date: Autumn 2025