Having spent more than three years on the job, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) chief scientist Ellen Stofan recently announced her resignation. Stofan has been at the helm of the agency since August 2013.
According to Space News, Stofan's departure was announced by NASA on December 21 through its Tumblr social media account. The agency officially announced Stofan's departure by uploading a link to an interview she conducted in the past. NASA commented that Stofan was leaving the agency to pursue "new adventures."
The head of NASA operations hinted regarding her departure previously at a gathering in December this year. Addressing members at an astrobiology symposium in California at the National Academies' Space Studies Board, Stofan said she was leaving the agency soon. Stofan joked that when her placement card fell off the podium, it was an indication of her future plans.
During her tenure at NASA, Stofan served as the main advisor to the agency's administration on space and science related issues, Space reported. Those duties also include coordinating with other government agencies and strategic planning of NASA's science projects.
Stofan elaborated on the challenges she faced and worked on while at NASA. Among the more interesting programes that she worked on was the strategy for the exploration of Mars on a long-term basis by humans. Stofan said this programe was the focal point of broader scientific investigations into the evidence of life beyond the earth.
Stofan said that her proudest achievements as chief scientist was getting NASA to request voluntarily for demographic information in grant proposals being submitted by scientists. She said the added information helped the agency in understanding if any underlying biases existed when the organization awarded grants.
NASA has selected a deputy associate administrator for science in the wake of Stofan's departure. In an internal memo, it was reported that Dennis Andrucyk would take up the position which becomes effective in January 2017.
Stofan elaborates on NASA's plans in the following video: