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Laurie Leshin has chosen to resign as director of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory on Sunday, June 1. David Gallagher, who has been acting as the Lab’s associate director for Strategic Integration, will take over the helm of the federally funded research and development center that Caltech administers for NASA.
A renowned geochemist, Leshin was appointed by Caltech to lead the lab in early 2022. Her professional journey has traversed academia and high-ranking roles at NASA. Various NASA missions overseen by JPL have been initiated under her guidance, including EMIT, SWOT, Psyche, PREFIRE, Europa Clipper, and SPHEREx, with the NASA-Indian Earth satellite NISAR scheduled for a June launch. Furthermore, JPL has progressed the development of NASA’s asteroid-hunting NEO Surveyor mission along with the trio of CADRE lunar rovers, and it has provided the Coronagraph Instrument, a technology demonstration aligned with NASA’s upcoming Roman Space Telescope.
“I take pride in the numerous achievements JPL has attained over the last three years,” remarked Leshin. “Besides the extensive list of missions that have either launched or progressed toward launch during that duration, we rescued Voyager multiple times and made history on Mars with Ingenuity. We have made exceptional scientific discoveries that are beyond enumeration, including the identification of potential ancient Martian biomarkers with Perseverance. Additionally, we have pushed the boundaries of technology both on Earth and in space. I am confident that these accomplishments will persist under Dave’s skilled leadership.”
Leshin, who has also held the position of Caltech vice president, is resigning for personal reasons but will continue as a Bren Professor of Geochemistry and Planetary Science at Caltech.
“While we acknowledge Laurie’s choice to step back from her leadership role at JPL, we will greatly miss her enthusiasm, empathy, and commitment,” stated Caltech President Thomas Rosenbaum. “Simultaneously, we express gratitude to Dave Gallagher for his dedication to JPL and his ongoing leadership and collaboration moving forward. Dave’s expertise working across various government and private sector entities will aid in securing sustained support for America’s objectives in space, with JPL maintaining its critical role.”
Gallagher will utilize his extensive experience at JPL to guide the lab into the future. He joined JPL 36 years ago, in 1989, and has since occupied numerous leadership roles. In addition to serving as the director and deputy director for Astronomy, Physics, and Space Technology, he was the manager of JPL’s Advanced Optical Systems Program Office. As an electrical engineer, Gallagher also oversaw the Spitzer Space Telescope and, among other responsibilities, led the team that constructed and evaluated the Wide Field/Planetary Camera 2 (WF/PC-2) — a vital instrument that corrected the spherical aberration of NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope.
“Laurie has significantly contributed to energizing and orienting the lab, steering it back on course post the Covid-19 pandemic. I wish her immense success in this next phase of her career, and I eagerly anticipate a seamless transition at the lab,” Gallagher remarked. “We have thrilling opportunities ahead as we work to advance our nation’s space agenda, along with a remarkable team to help make this vision a reality.”
Established by Caltech faculty and students in 1936, JPL has been administered by Caltech on behalf of NASA since 1958.
Media Contacts
Matthew Segal / Veronica McGregor
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
818-354-8307 / 818-354-9452
[email protected] / [email protected]
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