Thomas Hansueli Zurbuchen (born 1968) is a Swiss-American astrophysicist. From October 2016 until the end of 2022, he was the longest continually running Associate Administrator for the

Science Mission Directorate The Science Mission Directorate (SMD) of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is one of the six directorates that constitute NASA. Its responsibility is to define and direct research into scientific questions of interest, shari ...

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

. Prior to this, he was Professor of Space Science and

Aerospace Engineering Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. Avionics engineering is s ...

at the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

, where he helped found the Center for Entrepreneurship.

Personal life and education

Zurbuchen was born and grew up in Switzerland as the child of a Free Church preacher. He attended both high school and university against the wishes of his parents. Zurbuchen studied

physics Physics is the scientific study of matter, its Elementary particle, fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge whi ...

at the

University of Bern The University of Bern (, , ) is a public university, public research university in the Switzerland, Swiss capital of Bern. It was founded in 1834. It is regulated and financed by the canton of Bern. It is a comprehensive university offering a br ...

, with a minor in

mathematics Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...

, 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".

Career

Zurbuchen moved to the United States two weeks after completing his PhD. He joined the

as a

research associate Research associates are researchers (scholars and professionals) that usually have an advanced degree beyond a Bachelor's degree such as a master's degree or a PhD. In some universities/research institutes, such as Harvard/Harvard Medical Scho ...

, 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 Messenger, Messengers, The Messenger or The Messengers may refer to: People * Courier, a person or company that delivers messages, packages, or mail * Messenger (surname) * Bicycle messenger, a bicyclist who transports packages through cities * M ...

to Mercury, the Fast Imaging Plasma Spectrometer. He chaired the

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the ...

committee that produced a report in 2016 on

Cubesat A CubeSat is a class of small satellite with a form factor of cubes. CubeSats have a mass of no more than per unit,, url=https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5418c831e4b0fa4ecac1bacd/t/5f24997b6deea10cc52bb016/1596234122437/CDS+REV14+2020-07-3 ...

s. From October 2016 until the end of 2022, Zurbuchen was the longest continually running Associate Administrator for the

. During this time, NASA launched 37 missions and started another 54. Among them were the

James Webb Space Telescope The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a space telescope designed to conduct infrared astronomy. As the largest telescope in space, it is equipped with high-resolution and high-sensitivity instruments, allowing it to view objects too old, Lis ...

Perseverance Perseverance most commonly refers to: * ''Perseverance'' (rover), a planetary rover landed on Mars by NASA * Psychological resilience Perseverance may also refer to: Geography * Perseverance, Queensland, a locality in Australia * Perseverance I ...

and

Ingenuity Ingenuity may refer to: *Ingenuity (helicopter), part of NASA's Mars 2020 mission * ''Ingenuity'' (Crespi), a painting * ''Ingenuity'' (album), a 1994 Ultravox album *QIAGEN Silicon Valley, formerly Ingenuity Systems, a biotechnology software comp ...

Mars Landings,

DART Dart or DART may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Dart, the equipment in the game of darts * Dart (comics), an Image Comics superhero * Dart, a character from ''G.I. Joe'' * Dart, a ''Thomas & Friends'' railway engine character * Dart ...

, and many others for which he was responsible, and to the success of which he contributed majorly. 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, the Knowledge Project, (German) Chefgespräch, and (German) Alles Gesagt. As of January 2023, Zurbuchen works as an international speaker. From August 2023, Zurbuchen will be director of

ETH Zurich ETH Zurich (; ) is a public university in Zurich, Switzerland. Founded in 1854 with the stated mission to educate engineers and scientists, the university focuses primarily on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. ETH Zurich ran ...

Space, 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.

Awards

* 2004: US

Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers The Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) is the highest honor bestowed by the United States federal government on outstanding scientists and engineers in the early stages of their independent research careers. T ...

. * 2018: Heinrich-Greinacher-Prize of the University of Bern * 2020:

NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal The NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal is awarded to US government employees only for notably outstanding leadership which affects technical or administrative programs of NASA. The leadership award may be given for an act of leadership, for sustain ...

* 2021: US

Presidential Rank Award The Presidential Rank Awards program is an individual award program granted by the United States government to career Senior Executive Service (SES) members and Senior Career Employees within the OPM-allocated Senior-Level (SL) or Scientific-Profe ...

* 2021: Honorary doctorate degree (Dr. of Science) of

Northern Michigan University Northern Michigan University (Northern Michigan, Northern or NMU) is a public university in Marquette, Michigan, United States. It was established in 1899 by the Michigan Legislature as Northern State Normal School. In 1963, the state designa ...

. * 2022:

NASA Distinguished Service Medal The NASA Distinguished Service Medal is the highest award that can be bestowed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration of the United States. The medal may be presented to any member of the federal government, including both milita ...

* 2022: Wernher von Braun Distinguished Science Award. * 2022: Honorary doctorate degree (Dr. h. c.) of the

* 2023: Innovator of the Year, Wirtschaftswoche * 2023: Honorary doctorate degree (Doctorate of Science) of

Rochester Institute of Technology The Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) is a private university, private research university in Henrietta, New York, a suburb of Rochester, New York, Rochester. It was founded in 1829. It is one of only two institute of technology, institut ...

Popular culture

Zurbuchen is referenced in the

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard (KGLW) are an Australian Rock music, rock band formed in 2010 in Melbourne, Victoria. The band's current lineup consists of Stu Mackenzie (vocals, guitar), Ambrose Kenny-Smith (vocals, harmonica, keyboards), Coo ...

song '' The Last Oasis''.

References

External links

Personal web site for Thomas Zurbuchen

Web site for Thomas Zurbuchen at NASA

Web site for Thomas Zurbuchen at the University of Michigan

Podcast with Harvard Business Review

Podcast with Knowledge Project

German Podcast with Die Zeit

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zurbuchen, Thomas American astrophysicists Swiss astrophysicists NASA astrophysicists 1968 births Living people University of Bern alumni University of Michigan faculty Recipients of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers