Thomas Zurbuchen

Thomas Hansueli Zurbuchen (born 1968) is a Swiss-American astrophysicist. From October 2016[2] until the end of 2022, he was the longest continually running Associate Administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA.[3][4] Prior to this, he was Professor of Space Science and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Michigan, where he helped found the Center for Entrepreneurship.[5]

Thomas Zurbuchen
Zurbuchen in 2016
Born1968 (age 54–55)
Heiligenschwendi, Canton of Bern, Switzerland
NationalitySwiss, American
EducationUniversity of Bern
OccupationGovernment agency administrator
EmployerETH Zürich
Known forAssociate Administrator, NASA (2016-2022)[1]

Personal life and education

Zurbuchen was born and grew up in Switzerland as the child of a Free Church preacher.[6] He attended both high school and university against the wishes of his parents.[7] Zurbuchen studied physics at the University of Bern, with a minor in mathematics, and was awarded the PhD in 1996 with a thesis entitled "Turbulence in the interplanetary medium and its implications on the dynamics of minor ions".[8]

Career

Zurbuchen moved to the United States two weeks after completing his PhD.[9] He joined the University of Michigan as a research associate, and was made professor in 2008. His scientific research focuses on solar and heliospheric physics, experimental space research, and space systems; he is also well known for his personal work on innovation and entrepreneurship.

Zurbuchen served as team leader for the development of one of the scientific instruments aboard NASA's Messenger spacecraft to Mercury, the Fast Imaging Plasma Spectrometer.[10] He chaired the National Academy of Sciences committee that produced a report in 2016 on Cubesats.[11]

From October 2016[2] until the end of 2022, Zurbuchen was the longest continually running Associate Administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA.[3][4] During this time, he launched 37 missions and started another 54. [12][13] Among them were the James Webb Space Telescope, Perseverance and Ingenuity Mars Landings, DART, and many others for which he was responsible, and to the success of which he contributed majorly. [14][15] Due to his work, Zurbuchen is routinely featured in interviews, public lectures, and podcasts, focussed on leadership innovation and management techniques, especially in complex organizations. Examples include, but are not limited to the Harvard Business Review,[16] the Knowledge Project,[17] (German) Chefgespräch,[18] and (German) Alles Gesagt.[19]

As of January 2023, Zurbuchen works as an international speaker.[20][21] From August 2023, Zurbuchen will be director of ETH Zurich Space,[22] after having spent his entire professional career in the United States. Zurbuchen will work in Switzerland for 60% of the time, while continuing his speaking and consulting career.[9]

Awards

References
  1. "Thomas Zurbuchen: Transitioning to My Next Chapter". 14 September 2022.
  2. "NASAWatch article announcing Zurbuchen's NASA appointment". 27 September 2016. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  3. "Thomas Zurbuchen bio at NASA". Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  4. "NASA's Science Associate Administrator Thomas Zurbuchen to Step Down". executivegov.com. 14 September 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  5. Chang, Kenneth (12 January 2023). "At NASA, Dr. Z Was OK With Some Missions Failing". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  6. Aus der Freikirche ins All – Die steile Karriere des Nasa-Direktors Thomas Zurbuchen | Doku| SRF Dok, retrieved 3 May 2023
  7. Aus der Freikirche ins All – Die steile Karriere des Nasa-Direktors Thomas Zurbuchen | Doku| SRF Dok, retrieved 3 May 2023
  8. Zurbuchen, Thomas (1996). Astrophysics Data System reference for Zurbuchen's thesis (Report). Bibcode:1996PhDT........34Z.
  9. Zurbuchen, Thomas (25 May 2023). "Thomas Zurbuchen - The Next Step, Across The Atlantic, As An Immigrant". SpaceRef. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  10. "FIPS Page at University of Michigan". Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  11. "Achieving Science with CubeSats: Thinking Inside the Box (2016)". Retrieved 17 January 2017.
  12. "Thomas Zurbuchen". Thomas Zurbuchen. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  13. "NASA's Science Associate Administrator Thomas Zurbuchen to Step Down". executivegov.com. 14 September 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  14. "Launching the World's Biggest Space Telescope – Dr. Thomas Z". blogs.nasa.gov. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  15. "NASA's Science Associate Administrator Thomas Zurbuchen to Step Down". executivegov.com. 14 September 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  16. "NASA's Science Head on Leading Space Missions with Risk of Spectacular Failure". Harvard Business Review. 18 October 2022. ISSN 0017-8012. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
  17. "Thomas Zurbuchen: Adventures in Astrophysics [The Knowledge Project Ep. #108]". Farnam Street. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
  18. Balzli, Beat. "Podcast – Chefgespräch: NASA-Forschungschef Zurbuchen: "Ende der 2030er Jahre werden wir auf de". www.wiwo.de (in German). Retrieved 3 May 2023.
  19. "ZEIT ONLINE | Lesen Sie zeit.de mit Werbung oder im PUR-Abo. Sie haben die Wahl". www.zeit.de. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
  20. "Thomas Zurbuchen". Thomas Zurbuchen. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  21. "LinkedIn: Thomas Zurbuchen". LinkedIn. 1 January 2023.
  22. "Former NASA Science Director is joining ETH Zurich". ethz.ch. 25 May 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  23. "White House Announces Awards for Early Career Scientists and Engineers". PRNewswire. 4 May 2004. Archived from the original on 6 May 2016. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  24. Greinacher Foundation. University of Bern. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
  25. "Zurbuchen is Honorary Degree Recipient, Commencement Speaker | Northern Today". news.nmu.edu. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  26. Ballard, Kimberly (1 November 2022). "Space industry leaders honored at von Braun celebration". 256 Today. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  27. Putting all our energy into education. ETH Zurich, 19 November 2022. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
  28. "Der Deutsche Innovationspreis 2023 - 21. April 2023". Der Deutsche Innovationspreis 2023 (in German). Retrieved 3 May 2023.
  29. "RIT to confer five honorary degrees at May 12 commencement ceremony". rit.edu/news. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
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