NASA Selects Solar Physicist as New Head of Science

NASA's Science Mission Directorate will now enter a new era of leadership with a solar physicist.

NASA Administrator revealed on Monday, Feb. 27, that Dr. Nicola Fox will now assume her new position as the agency's Science Mission Directorate associate administrator at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

NASA Announces First Mission To Fly Directly Into Sun's Atmosphere — CHICAGO, IL - MAY 31: Dr. Rocky Kolb of the University of Chicago (R) and Dr. Nicola Fox of Johns Hopkins University (C) applaud University of Chicago astrophysicist Dr. Eugene Parker during a presentation to announce plans to deploy a solar probe into the sun's atmosphere for the first time on May 31, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. The probe will be named the Parker Solar Probe in Dr. Parker's honor. The probe is scheduled to be launch in the summer of 2018. Scott Olson/Getty Images

NASA's New Head of Science

"As the director of our Heliophysics Division, Nicky was instrumental in expanding the impacts and awareness of NASA's solar exploration missions and I look forward to working with her as she brings her talents, expertise, and passion to her new role," Nelson said in a press release statement.

"We're all grateful for the interim leadership of Sandra Connelly, who has done an incredible job keeping the mission moving forward over the last couple months."

As NASA's chief of Science, Fox is responsible for overseeing more than 100 spacecraft on missions to discover the mysteries of the cosmos. These missions look at topics including how hurricanes develop on Earth, how to support astronauts on the Moon, and whether life exists elsewhere in the universe.

She will also assist a diverse workforce of scientists and engineers across the nation at all stages of their careers and ensure an inclusive environment.

Fox joined NASA in 2018 and took over the Heliophysics Division, overseeing the organization's efforts to investigate the Sun and how Earth and other planets are impacted by its continuous solar wind.

She was also the project scientist on NASA's Parker Solar Probe and the lead scientist for heliophysics at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.

Fox has written numerous scientific papers and articles during her career. She has also given speeches on science all over the world. She received the Carl Sagan Memorial Award from the American Astronautical Society in 2021 for her exemplary leadership in the field of heliophysics and her significant project, program, and supervisory experience.

NASA also gave her the Distinguished Leadership Medal in 2020.

Science Mission Directorate

The nation's space research program in Earth and space science is directed and supervised by the Office of the Associate Administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate (SMD).

The Directorate is responsible for advancing the boundaries of five large fields of science: Earth Science, Planetary Science, Biological and Physical Sciences, Heliophysics, and Astrophysics.

The Directorate offers useful information about changes on our planet through a range of robotic observatories and explorer crafts, funded study, and virtual human access to the furthest reaches of space and time.

Fox will now oversee these important programs as NASA prepares for various ambitious projects, such as sending humans to the Moon for long-term habitation.