Maria T. Zuber, PhD

Maria T. Zuber, PhD, is a geophysicist and planetary scientist who has produced several topography and gravity maps of planetary bodies that exceed the quality and resolution of those for Earth. She has led a dozen experiments on ten NASA missions and is the first woman to lead a NASA planetary mission.

• Oversees MIT Lincoln Laboratory and a dozen interdisciplinary research labs.
• Maps planets using laser ranging and radio tracking techniques.
• First woman to lead a science department at MIT.
• Appointed by Presidents Obama and Trump to the National Science Board and served as Board Chair.
• Member of U.S. National Academy of Sciences.
• Served on the Presidential Commission on the Implementation of United States Space Exploration Policy under President G. W. Bush.