Dr. Carl Pilcher, senior scientist for astrobiology at NASA Headquarters, Washington, has been appointed director of the NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI) based at NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. The appointment is effective Sept. 18, 2006.
Pilcher succeeds Dr. Bruce Runnegar, who served as the third director of the NAI from 2003-2006. Runnegar is returning to his home institution, the University of California at Los Angeles in September.
Prior to coming to NASA, Pilcher served on the faculty of the Institute for Astronomy at the University of Hawaii. He has received numerous awards, including the NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal.
Founded in 1997, NAI is a partnership between NASA, 12 major U.S. teams and six international consortia. NAI’s goal is to promote, conduct and lead integrated multidisciplinary astrobiology research and to train a new generation of astrobiology researchers.
Astrobiology is the study of the origin, evolution, distribution and future of life in the universe.
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