Zurbuchen: The hardest part of research is balancing between irrelevant and impossible
Dr. Thomas Zurbuchen · #108 Thomas Zurbuchen: Adventures in Astrophysics · Apr 6, 2021 · at 39:37
Dr. Thomas Zurbuchen, Associate Administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate, explains his mental model for managing scientific risk and innovation while directing NASA's multi-billion-dollar science portfolio.
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“I think the hardest part of research is always to find that edge, right? So kind of, you know, kind of, if you really look at the best research, you know, I think of it like I'm a mountain guy. I think of it as like walking in the mountains on that ridge on the one side, Is the irrelevant. We've already proven it. It's easy to do research there. It's safe. You know, you get tenure and every professor, you know, is fine doing it kind of twiddling around and you can make a lot of money there. The other side is the impossible, right? Kind of their immigrant of research questions don't only need, frankly the right question, but the right time for that question. And the hardest part is, is to build programs that are programs that have that Push that edge at the maximum speed viable. That requires that you learn how to fail.”
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