Dr. Edward J. Weiler, Associate Administrator
Dr. Ed Weiler. Photo credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls.
Dr. Edward J. Weiler was appointed as associate administrator of the Science Missions Directorate in May 2008 from his current position of Center Director of Goddard Space Flight Center. Previously, he had served as the associate administrator for the agency's Space Science Enterprise from 1998 to 2004.
Dr. Edward J. Weiler took over leadership of the Goddard Space Flight Center on August 1, 2004. Prior to assuming his current position as Center Director, he served as the Associate Administrator for NASA's Space Science Enterprise since 1998. Under his leadership, the Enterprise had numerous successes, including the Chandra, NEAR, MAP, FUSE, Spitzer, Mars Odyssey, and Mars Exploration Rover missions. The successes realized under Dr. Weiler's leadership have earned consistent support from the Administration and the Congress and have secured an unprecedented level of funding to continue such important space science missions.
According to Science News' annual metric of contributions to world discoveries and technological achievement, Space Science's contribution is consistently high, garnering 5-8% of the total each year. Sharing the excitement of these scientific discoveries is an important part of Dr. Weiler's philosophy, and the Space Science Enterprise’s interaction and partnership with the academic community and the informal education community (e.g., planetaria, museums) has grown exponentially in recent years.
Prior to his appointment as Associate Administrator, Dr. Weiler served as the Director of the Astronomical Search for Origins Program at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. He also served as the Chief Scientist for the Hubble Space Telescope from 1979 until 1998. Dr. Weiler joined NASA Headquarters in 1978 as a staff scientist and was promoted to the Chief of the Ultraviolet/Visible and Gravitational Astrophysics Division in 1979.
Prior to joining NASA, Dr. Weiler was a member of the Princeton University research staff. He joined Princeton in 1976 and was based at the Goddard Space Flight Center as the director of science operations of the Orbiting Astronomical Observatory-3 (COPERNICUS).
Dr. Weiler received his Ph.D. in astrophysics from Northwestern University in 1976. He has published numerous papers in the scientific journals. In his role as the Hubble Space Telescope Chief Scientist, he acted as the prime scientific spokesperson for the program and has appeared on a number of national TV programs including NIGHTLINE, TODAY, GOOD MORNING AMERICA, 60 MINUTES, etc. He is also routinely requested as a keynote speaker for a variety of professional and public events.
Dr. Weiler's scientific expertise and commitment to excellence have earned him numerous distinctions over the years. For his lead role in the Hubble science program over the past two decades, Dr. Weiler was awarded the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal and the1994 Presidential Rank Award of Meritorious Executive. More recent recognition of his accomplishments includes the NASA Exceptional Service Medal (1991), two additional NASA Outstanding Leadership Medals (2002, 2004), the NASA Distinguished Service Medal (2000), a second Presidential Rank Award of Meritorious Executive (2002), and the prestigious Presidential Rank Award of Distinguished Executive (1999).
Dr. Weiler was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1949.