Maria Zuber

Zuber grew up in coal country in Summit Hill, Pennsylvania, one of five children of Joseph and Dolores (Stoffa) Zuber. She has three brothers, Joseph Jr., Stephen, and Andrew (1966–2018), and a sister, Joanne.[3] Both her grandfathers were coal miners and contracted black lung disease.[4]

Zuber received her B.A. in astronomy and geology from the University of Pennsylvania. She also earned Sc.M. and Ph.D. degrees, both in geophysics, from Brown University.

Zuber later worked at Johns Hopkins University and served as a research scientist at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland. She joined the faculty of MIT in 1998 and was the chair of the Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences from 2003 to 2012.[1] She is the first woman to lead a science department at MIT.[2] Since 2012, she has been Vice President for Research at MIT.[5]

Zuber's professional focus has been on the structure and tectonics of solid solar system objects. She is a pioneer in the measurement of the shapes of the surfaces of the inner planets, and in interpreting what those shapes mean for internal structure and dynamics, thermal history, and surface-atmosphere interactions. She specializes in using gravity and laser altimetry measurements to determine interior structure and evolution. The topographic maps of Mars and the Moon produced by her laser altimeters on the Mars Global Surveyor and Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft are more accurate than that of Earth. She has been a team member on 10 NASA planetary missions, including Mars Global Surveyor, Dawn, and MESSENGER.[1][6]

Zuber became interested in planetary science at an early age. A desire to spread her childhood enthusiasm was one reason why she teamed up with former astronaut Sally Ride to include in the GRAIL mission components that would capture the imagination of young students. A student contest provided the names for the mission's two spacecraft, Ebb and Flow, and students can sign up to use GRAIL's Moon Knowledge Acquired by Middle school students (MoonKAM) instrument.[2][7]

On January 15, 2021, Zuber was appointed co-chair of President-elect Joe Biden's President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), which was elevated to the Cabinet.[8]

• 2002: 50 Most Important Women in Science (Discover Magazine).[9]
• 2004: NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal.[1]
• 2007: American Astronautical Society/Planetary Society Carl Sagan Memorial Award.
• 2007: Geological Society of America G.K. Gilbert Award[10]
• 2008: Honorary Doctor of Science degree from Brown University.
• 2008: Named as one of America's Best Leaders by U.S. News & World Report,[11] with Fiona A. Harrison. Zuber and Harrison were the first two women to be selected as scientific leaders of NASA robotic missions.
• 2009: NASA Group Achievement Award for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Laser Ranging Team.
• 2010: NASA Group Achievement Award for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Team.[12]
• 2012: Massachusetts Institute of Technology James R. Killian Jr. Faculty Achievement Award.[13]
• 2012: NASA Group Achievement Awards for (1) the GRAIL Science Team; (2) the GRAIL Project Office Team; and (3) the GRAIL Mission Formulation Team.[14]
• 2012: NASA Outstanding Public Leadership Medal
• 2012: Harry Hess Medal, American Geophysical Union.[15]
• 2012: International Academy of Astronautics Laurel for Team Achievement to MESSENGER Team.[16]
• 2013: National Space Society, Space Pioneer Award in Science and Engineering, GRAIL Team.[17]
• 2013: NASA Exceptional Achievement for Science, Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Science Team.[18]
• 2013: NASA Group Achievement Award for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter - Laser Ranger Optical Communication Experiment.[18][19]
• 2013: NASA Group Achievement Award for the Dawn Science Team.[20]
• 2014: Buzz Aldrin Space Exploration Award, The Explorer's Club.[21]
• 2015: Member, Johns Hopkins University Society of Scholars.[22]
• 2015: MIT Freshman Advising Student Champion Award.
• 2015: Best Referee Award, Nature Publishing
• 2017: Eugene Shoemaker Distinguished Scientist Medal, NASA Solar System Exploration Virtual Science Institute[23]
• 2019: Gerard P. Kuiper Prize in Planetary Sciences[24][25]

Zuber is a Fellow of the following professional societies:[1]

• American Geophysical Union
• American Association for the Advancement of Science
• American Astronomical Society, Division for Planetary Sciences
• American Astronautical Society
• Geological Society of America

The asteroid 6635 Zuber, which orbits the sun between Mars and Jupiter,[26] is named for Zuber.[27]

List of Maria Zuber publications (PDF)

• Maria Zuber Playlist Appearance on WMBR's Dinnertime Sampler radio show February 16, 2005
• Maria Zuber Playlist Appearance on WMBR's Dinnertime Sampler radio show November 19, 2003
• NASA 360 New Worlds New Discoveries 2/2 on YouTube Retrieved 6/30/2011.
• The World We Dream - Maria Zuber on YouTube Retrieved 10/18/2012.
• Appearances on C-SPAN