ETH Zurich awards honorary doctorate to Thomas Zurbuchen

The Department of Earth Sciences has successfully nominated NASA'S Associate Administrator for the Science Mission Directorate, Thomas Zurbuchen, for an honorary doctorate. He received the award on the occasion of this year's ETH Day on 19 November 2022.

22.11.2022

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Talk by Thomas Zurbuchen — The day before he was awarded an honorary doctorate, Thomas Zurbuchen gave a talk on "Explore Science" at the Department of Earth Sciences. (Image: Astrid Robertsson)

Thomas Zurbuchen studied physics and mathematics at the University of Bern, where he received a doctorate in experimental astrophysics in 1996. He then moved to the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor as a research associate, where he was appointed full professor of space science and aerospace engineering in 2008.

In 2016, he became Associate Administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. One of his biggest successes during his time at NASA was the launch and installation of the James Webb telescope.

In September 2022, he has announced his resignation from his position at NASA this end of the year.

Honorary doctorates

By awarding honorary doctorates, ETH Zurich honours individuals for their outstanding scientific work and recognises their important contribution to science, education and practical applications, or to the synthesis of research and practical work.