Summary:

Lieutenant Commander (LCDR, U.S. Navy) Jonny Kim was selected by NASA in 2017. Kim is a dual designated Naval 

Aviator and Flight Surgeon, and as a former Navy SEAL has completed more than 100 combat operations. The 

California native was commissioned as a naval officer through an enlisted-to-officer program and earned his degree in 

mathematics at the University of San Diego and a doctorate of medicine at Harvard Medical School. He served as the 

International Space Station’s Increment Lead for Expedition 65 in 2021 and currently supports crew operations.

Personal Data:

Born and raised in Los Angeles, California to Korean-American immigrants. Enjoys spending time with his wife and 

their three children, outdoor activities, strength training, video games and learning new skills.

Education:

Santa Monica High School, Santa Monica, California. Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics, summa cum laude, University 

of San Diego, San Diego, California. Doctorate of Medicine (M.D.), Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts. 

Medical internship, Harvard Affiliated Emergency Medicine Residency, Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham 

and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.

Experience:

LCDR Kim enlisted in the Navy as a Seaman recruit after graduating high school in 2002. After completion of Hospital 

Corpsman “A” school training, he reported to Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training in Coronado, CA. After 

completing his training at Naval Special Warfare, Kim reported to John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School in 

Fort Bragg, NC for the Special Operations Combat Medic Course. He was assigned as a Special Warfare Operator to SEAL 

Team THREE Charlie Platoon in San Diego, California and obtained various qualifications including Military Freefall 

Parachutist, Advanced SCUBA, Combatant Diver (closed circuit rebreather), Naval Special Warfare Special Reconnaissance 

Scout and Sniper, and Advanced Special Operations Techniques. Kim served as a Special Operations Combat Medic, 

sniper, navigator and point man on more than 100 combat operations spanning two deployments in support of Operation 

Iraqi Freedom. In 2012, Petty Officer First Class Kim was commissioned as a naval officer through the Navy’s enlisted-toofficer commissioning program, Seaman to Admiral-21, following graduation from the University of San Diego. Kim 

obtained his medical degree from Harvard Medical School and completed his internship with Harvard Affiliated 

Emergency Medicine Residency at Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Kim is a graduate 

of the Naval Flight Surgeon course at the Naval Aerospace Medical Institute at Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola, Florida. 

He completed Primary Flight Training at NAS Corpus Christi, TX, and helicopter Advanced Flight Training at NAS Whiting 

Field, Milton, Florida. Kim is an Aeromedical Dual Designator (AMDD), designated as a Naval Aviator and Naval Flight 

Surgeon. 

Jonny Kim

(LCDR, U.S. Navy) (M.D.) NASA Astronaut

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center

Houston, Texas 77058

July 2023

http://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies
 NASA Experience:

Kim reported for duty in August 2017 and completed two years of training as an Astronaut Candidate. Training 

included technical and operational instruction in International Space Station systems, Extravehicular Activities (EVA) 

Operations, T-38 flight training, robotics, physiological training, expeditionary training, field geology, water and 

wilderness survival training, and Russian language proficiency training. In 2020, Kim began his support of International 

Space Station operations as a Capsule Communicator (CapCom) in Mission Control Center Houston. He also served as 

the International Space Station’s Increment Lead for Expedition 65 in 2021. He currently supports crew operations as 

the operations officer.

Awards/Honors:

Silver Star Medal, Bronze Star Medal with Combat “V”, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with Combat 

“V”, Combat Action Ribbon and various campaign and service awards. Commodore’s List with Distinction, Naval 

Advanced Flight Training. Naval Special Warfare Medic of the Year, Special Operations Medical Association. 

Commandant’s List, Special Operations Combat Medic Course, Joint Special Operations Medical Training Center 

(JSOMTC). SEAL Junior Sailor of the Quarter, SEAL Team THREE. Distinguished Honor Graduate, Navy Hospital 

Corpsman (HM) “A” School. Tillman Scholar, Pat Tillman Foundation. Phi Beta Kappa, Kappa Gamma Pi and Mortar 

Board Honor Societies.

http://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies

Jonny Kim