New leader appointed for JPL and Caltech
Caltech officials have announced Michael M. Watkins, director of the Center for Space Research at the University of Texas at Austin, has been appointed director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Caltech vice president, replacing Dr. Charles Elachi.
Elachi will retire on June 30 after 15 years of serving in his current role as director and 45 years with NASA. Watkins will formally assume his position on July 1.
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In a statement issued Monday by Caltech, officials said Watkins was recommended to Institute President Thomas F. Rosenbaum by members of a selection committee comprising Caltech trustees, faculty, senior administrative leaders and a member of JPL’s executive council.
“Michael’s record of successful mission leadership and impressive management skills quickly distinguished him as a leading candidate for this position,” Rosenbaum said in the release. “As JPL director, Michael will build upon the laboratory’s outstanding achievements in planetary exploration and earth science, strengthening the connections between Caltech’s campuses and partnering with NASA to deliver highly complex and nuanced missions.”
A former JPL employee of 22 years, Watkins also serves as the Clare Cockrell Williams Centennial Chair in Aerospace Engineering. He held several leadership roles during his time at the La Cañada facility, including acting as mission manager and mission system manager for the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity Rover.
He last worked there as manager of the Science Division and was chief scientist for the Engineering and Science Directorate. He holds a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree and a PhD in aerospace engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, has been broadly published and has served on the board of numerous international scientific and engineering societies.
Elachi, who’s known Watkins for more than two decades, said Watkins has played varying important roles in a number of high-level areas at JPL.
“His intimate knowledge of the lab and staff, combined with the highly diversified set of skills and knowledge base in science and engineering, will serve JPL very well in the years to come,” Elachi said in the statement.
Watkins stated he was looking forward to working with the facility’s talented and deeply committed staff.
“It is a privilege to have this opportunity to lead the laboratory to even greater discoveries,” he said.
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Sara Cardine, sara.cardine@latimes.com
Twitter: @SaraCardine
