Purdue ECE alumnus named director of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Purdue ECE alumnus named director of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory
David Gallagher, a graduate of Purdue University’s Elmore Family School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, has been named the next director of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).
Gallagher (BSEE ’82), who has served as the lab’s associate director for strategic integration, was selected by the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) to lead the federally funded research and development center. Caltech has managed JPL for NASA since 1958. Gallagher will assume the new role June 1.
A veteran of JPL since 1989, Gallagher brings more than three decades of experience in leadership, mission management and technical innovation. As an electrical engineer, he has contributed to some of NASA’s most iconic space missions. He managed the Spitzer Space Telescope, led the team that built and tested the Wide Field/Planetary Camera 2 — the instrument that corrected the Hubble Space Telescope’s initial imaging flaw — and directed JPL’s Advanced Optical Systems Program Office.
Gallagher will succeed Laurie Leshin, who has led JPL since 2022. Leshin, a distinguished geochemist and former Caltech vice president, is stepping down for personal reasons and will remain a Bren Professor of Geochemistry and Planetary Science at Caltech.
“Laurie has made a significant impact on energizing and focusing the lab, guiding it back on track after the COVID-19 pandemic,” Gallagher said. “I wish her great success in this next chapter of her career, and I look forward to a very smooth transition at the lab. We have exciting opportunities ahead helping to advance our nation’s space agenda and a fantastic team to help realize them.”
Caltech President Thomas Rosenbaum said he is confident Gallagher can lead JPL into a new era of discovery.
“While we respect Laurie’s decision to step away from her leadership position at JPL, we will miss her drive, compassion and dedication,” Rosenbaum said. “At the same time, we are grateful to Dave Gallagher for his devotion to JPL and his continuing leadership and partnership going forward.”
JPL is NASA’s lead center for robotic exploration of the solar system, responsible for historic missions such as Voyager, Mars rovers including Perseverance and Curiosity, and the upcoming Europa Clipper mission. Its work continues to shape humanity’s understanding of Earth, our solar system and the universe beyond.
Source: Dave Gallagher Named 11th Director of JPL as Laurie Leshin Steps Down