All time List of Nasa chief scientists overview

Till 2023 there were 11 people appointed as chief scientist in NASA. Overview about their work, born place, family and education is mentioned in this blog post.

all time List of Nasa chief scientists overview

1. Dr. Frank B. McDonald – 1982 to 1987.
2. Dr. Noel Hinners – 1987 to 1989.
3. Dr. France A. Cordova – 1993 to 1996.
4. Dr. Kathie L. Olsen – 1999 to 2002.
5. Dr. Shannon Lucid – 2002 to 2023.
6. Dr. John M. Grunsfeld – 2003 to 2004.
7. Dr. James B. Garvin – 2004 to 2005.
8. Dr. Waleed Abdalati – 2011 to 2012.
9. Dr. Allan Stofan – 2013 to 2016.
10. Dr. Jim Green – 2018 to 2021.
11. Dr. Katherine Calvin – January 10 to 2022 to present. 

1. Dr. Frank B. McDonald

Frank bethune MacDonald was an American Astrophysicist. He contributed by helping design scientific instruments for flights into space. He was been to scientist from 1982 to 1987.

McDonald was born on May 28 1925 in Columbus Georgia in the house of Frank B. McDonald and Lucy Kayle McDonald. He graduated from Duke University in 1948 and completed his Masters from University of Minnesota in 1951. He completed doctorate in physics in 1955 under the supervision of Edward P. Ney. 

2. Dr. Noel Hinners – 1987 to 1989

Noel Hinners was an American geologist and soil chemist. He worked as a variety of scientist and administrative roles from 1963 to 1989 including two years (1987 – 1989) as NASA chief scientist. 

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Noel Hinners was born on 25 December 1935 in Brooklyn. Hinners was born to Williams and Hazel Hinners and had 7 siblings. He completed bachelor of agriculture in 1958 from Rutgers University and masters in Geology from California Institute of Technology. Noel has done Ph.D in Geochemistry from Princeton University. Noels father was an insurance agent and mother was home maker.

3. Dr. France A. Cordova – 1993 to 1996

France A. CordovaMouse American astrophysicist and administrator. She was the 14th the director of National Science Foundation. From 2007 to 2012 Cordova was the 11th president of Purdue University. 

France A. Cordova was born on 5th August 1947 in Paris, France. She had 11 siblings and she was the eldest one. Cordova’s Daddy was a businessman and her mother was Irish American. She has done high school from Bishop Amat High School in La Punete, California.

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The 3rd Nasa Chief Scientist graduated cum laude with a bachelors degree in English from Stanford University. In 1979 she achieved PhD in Physics from California Institute of Technology. Cordova married to a science educator Christian. J. Foster and both has two children Anne Catherine and Stephen.

4. Dr. Kathie L. Olsen – 1999 to 2002

Kathie L. Olsen is an American neuroscientist contributed praiseworthy work in scientific policy. She was the deputy director and chief operating officer at the National Science Foundation, August 2005 and January 2009.

5. Dr. Shannon Lucid – 2002 to 2023

 Shannon Lucid is an American biochemist and retired NASA astronaut born on January 14 1943.

6. Dr. John M. Grunsfeld – 2003 to 2004

John was an American physicist and a former NASA Astronaut. He was born on October 10 1958 in Chicago, Illinois, U.S. He was 6th NASA chief scientist from 2003 to 2004.

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7. Dr. James B. Garvin – 2004 to 2005

James was known for his foundational work in NASA. He was the 7th chief scientist of NASA served from 2004 to 2005. James was born in Poughkeepsie, New York. 

8. Dr. Waleed Abdalati – 2011 to 2012

Waleed Abdalati was NASA’s 8th  scientist from 3rd January 2011 to December 2012.

9. Dr. Allan Stofan – 2013 to 2016

Allan Stofan was born on 24 January 1961 in Oberlin, Ohio, U.S. She was the daughter of rocket engineer Andrew J. Stofan. 

10. Dr. Jim Green – 2018 to 2021

Jim Green is in American physicist and he was the 10th chief scientist of NASA  soft services from 2018 to 2021. Jim was born in Burlington, Lowa and earned PhD in space University of Lowa in 1979. After that he worked in NASA continuously and retired on 1st January 2022. 

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11. Dr. Katherine Calvin – January 10 to 2022 to present

Katherine is the current NASA chief scientist. She is the Earth scientist at joint Global Change Research Institute (JGCRI).

Calvin has earned bachelor’s degree in computer science and mathematics from University of Maryland (1999-2003). She earned a master degree and PhD in management science and engineering from Stanford University. 

Calvin is well known for contributions to US National Climate Assessment and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) special report on climate change. 

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