Roberta Bondar is a Canadian astronaut, the first Canadian woman in space.

She was born on December 4, 1945, in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. She holds a BS in zoology and agriculture from the University of Guelph (1968), an MS in experimental pathology from the University of Western Ontario (1971), a doctorate in neurobiology from the University of Toronto (1974), an MD from McMaster University (1977), and is a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada in neurology (1981).

She began her astronaut training in 1984, and in 1990 was designated a prime Payload Specialist for the first International Microgravity Laboratory Mission (IML-1). Dr. Bondar flew on the NASA Space Shuttle Discovery during Mission STS-42, January 22-30, 1992, during which she performed experiments in the Spacelab.

Dr. Bondar left the Canadian Space Agency in 1992 to pursue her research. She is currently chancellor of Trent University.

See Canadian space program.