Space Center Houston Experts

Manager of Science and Research, Space Center Houston
Manned Space Flight Education Foundation

Phyllis Friello has a combined 35 years of experience in both formal and informal education and research industries. Currently, she manages the on-site research and science payload flight opportunities of the Applied Research Collaborative and the Innovation Gateway community science initiative for the nonprofit science and space exploration learning center Space Center Houston, which she joined in 2017.

Friello was a science teacher for 10 years with Baltimore City Schools, and most recently at the Baltimore School for the Arts (BSA) in Maryland.

Her additional academic experience includes teaching aboard the Education Vessel Baywatcher and providing continuing education for adults and educators for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. Her extensive research experience includes studies in marine and estuarine risk assessment, and environmental toxicology. She served as Chief Scientist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Northeast monitoring program.

Her clinical research includes ophthalmology and neuroimaging at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, the National Institutes of Health and Harvard University, Harvard Medical School.
She served as a Senior Research Manager/Scientist at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine where she conducted clinical research, faculty and staff training, and served as the clinical group representative to the Institutional Review Board.

She holds a Master of Science degree in biology from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, a Bachelor of Science degree in biology and environmental science from The George Washington University and a secondary science teaching certificate from the Maryland State Department of Education. She has authored numerous scientific papers and invited presentations.