HBR On Leadership
NASA’s Former Head of Science on What It Takes to Manage Complex, High-Risk Projects
01 Nov 2023
As the head of science at NASA, Thomas Zurbuchen managed an $8.6 billion dollar budget. A typical Monday, for him, might have involved hitting an asteroid with a space craft or trying to launch a rocket. Zurbuchen left that role in 2022, but he’s still the longest continually serving head of science in NASA’s history. He and his team accomplished a lot in that time. In this episode, he shares what he learned about leading extremely technical, complex, and expensive projects with a high risk of failure.
No persons identified in this episode.
This episode hasn't been transcribed yet
Help us prioritize this episode for transcription by upvoting it.
Popular episodes get transcribed faster
Other recent transcribed episodes
Transcribed and ready to explore now
NPR News: 12-08-2025 2AM EST
08 Dec 2025
NPR News Now
NPR News: 12-07-2025 11PM EST
08 Dec 2025
NPR News Now
NPR News: 12-07-2025 10PM EST
08 Dec 2025
NPR News Now
Meidas Health: AAP President Strongly Pushes Back on Hepatitis B Vaccine Changes
08 Dec 2025
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Democrat Bobby Cole Discusses Race for Texas Governor
07 Dec 2025
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Fox News Crashes Out on Air Over Trump’s Rapid Fall
07 Dec 2025
The MeidasTouch Podcast