Bio


Dr. Hubbard's research interests include the study of both human and robotic exploration of space with a particular focus on technology and missions for planetary exploration, especially Mars. Prof. Hubbard is also an expert on the emerging entrepreneurial space industry and is the Director Emeritus of the Stanford Center of Excellence for Commercial Space Transportation (COE CST). As part of his ongoing engagement with robotic Mars missions, Hubbard serves as a member of National Academy of Science review groups and as a frequent consultant to NASA projects. Current topics include the Mars Sample Return architecture and studying the infusion of science objectives into human exploration missions. Dr. Hubbard's commercial space interests examine policies to enable, facilitate and promote such ventures. As the former Director of NASA's Ames Research Center, he maintains an active connection to the space exploration community. Hubbard is also the Founding Editor-in-Chief of the peer-reviewed journal New Space.

Brief Biography: Dr. Scott Hubbard has been a leader in space exploration for almost 50 years. His career includes a National Lab, a start-up venture, NASA, and Stanford. At NASA, Dr. Hubbard is best known as Director of NASA’s Ames Research Center, the first Mars Program Director (aka the "Mars Czar"), and the founder of NASA's Astrobiology Institute. As the sole NASA member of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB), Hubbard’s work demonstrated the definitive technical cause of the accident. At Stanford, Hubbard has been very active in the emerging entrepreneurial space enterprise, establishing a peer-reviewed journal New Space, and creating the Stanford Center of Excellence for Commercial Space Transportation., From 2012 to 2023 Hubbard chaired the SpaceX Commercial Crew Safety Advisory Panel. Although now retired from teaching and advising he continues to serve on various committees for the National Academy, NASA and other groups. He is the author of the award winning "Exploring Mars: Chronicles from a Decade of Discovery" and his many honors include eight NASA medals including NASA’s highest recognition, the Distinguished Service Medal. Dr. Hubbard is also an Honorary Fellow of the AIAA. A brief video of Hubbard's career may be viewed at https://vimeo.com/172038243. More background is available at https://gscotthubbard.com/ including Hubbard's lifelong passion for playing music.