About Micro-gRx

LAUNCHING RESEARCH SINCE 2011

Micro-gRx Then

In 2011, while working as a drug discovery pharmacologist in the growing Medical City at Lake Nona, a suburb of Orlando, Dr. Malany was invited to the STS-134 Endeavour launch, the next to last Space Shuttle launch at the Kennedy Space Center. While there, she met a teacher and scientist involved with science payloads. The following week, she attended a workshop and listened to student presentations highlighting suborbital experiments and learned about equipment intended to be placed on the International Space Station, some common equipment that she used every day in her lab. When Space Florida and NanoRacks announced a research competition to send an experiment in a 10 x 10 cm box, she applied and won (see CRS-4 mission). This sparked an interest in space related science that would trigger a new direction in how Dr. Malany sought funding for her projects. With seed money from Space Florida and CASIS, she founded Micro-gRx in 2014.

Micro-gRx Now

The Micro-gRx technology team is spearheaded by former space shuttle engineer and current NASA space launch system (SLS) engineer Lee Malany. Dr. Malany invited Lee to the Cygnus (NG-10) mission in 2018. (Incidentally, Lee had been part of the team that designed and built the launch pad at Wallops Flight Facility). After several pre-launch hardware anomalies and weather delays, Lee shifted his extensive years of aerospace experience into high gear and helped to get the Micro-gRx payload prepared for launch! Dr. Malany realized that with her brother’s expertise in aerospace engineering combined with he pharmacology background, they could uniquely solve issues related to integrating biology platforms with payload hardware. Lee joined Micro-gRx as its chief technology officer in 2019 and is part of the Tissue Chips in Space project funded by the National Institutes of Health in partnership with NASA.

Recent Missions

MEET OUR TEAM

Siobhan Malany, Ph.D.
FOUNDER, CEO
• Lead 5 payload ISS missions
• 16 Years Biotechnology Industry
• 7 Years University Florida Professor

Dr. Malany holds a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Iowa and was an Alexander von Humboldt Fellow at the Max Plank Institute for Brain Research in Frankfurt, Germany.
She was named one of 2017 Faces of Technology by Florida’s High Tech Corridor and has been featured in The Orlando Business Journal in 2020. She received a Proclamation from the Mayor of her hometown of Springfield, IL for her accomplishments in science (STEM) research.
Dr. Malany is an avid cyclist and former criterium racer! She enjoys “cabining” kayaking and mt. biking in the Georgia and The Carolina mountains with her husband and two sons. Dr. Malany is currently a faculty member in the College of Pharmacy at the University of Florida.
Contact Siobhan: smalany@microgrx.com

Tony Richgels
FINANCE LEAD
• 25 years of progressive finance leadership
• Managed domestic and international finance operations from startups to fortune 500 companies

Bio Coming Soon

Legrand K. Malany
SYSTEMS ENGINEER, CTO
• NASA Shuttle Program
• Aerojet, Microcosm, MARS, Blue Origin

Lee’s invaluable contributions to Micro-gRx comes from a dedicated career offering of engineering and management experience in fluid and mechanical aerospace systems and launch infrastructure. In addition, he provides leadership and direction throughout all aspects of program and project development for both government and commercial aerospace projects.
Lee has worked for NASA, Aerojet Rocketdyne, Microcosm, INC, Mid-Atlantic Regional Space Port (MARS) and Innovative Engineering Solutions, INC. According to Dr. Malany, “Lee brings to Micro-gRx, a strong technical background and hands on approach while working with associate team members to overcome the technical challenges associated with the rocket business and implementation of innovative technologies”.
Among Lee’s historical aerospace accolades is the real-time processing and assembly of the solid rocket boosters for NASA’s Space Shuttle program. Lee holds a BS in Engineering Mechanics from Southern Illinois University and is an avid skier, LEGO addict and classic JEEP enthusiast!
Contact Lee: lmalany@microgrx.com

Maddalena Parafati, Ph.D.
SCIENCE LEAD
• 3 Missions with Tissue Chips in Space
• 15 Years Stem Cell Biology Experience
• 6 Years University Florida Res Professor