Last week, Eugene Tu, Director of NASA's Ames Research Center, announced that Sidney Sun will join the Office of the Center Director as the lead for University Collaborations as of Feb. 25.
Since 2020, Sun has served as the deputy director of Programs and Projects. While serving in this role, Sun was instrumental in fostering technical collaborations between UC Berkeley and NASA. It is with this experience and passion that he will join the Office of the Center Director to continue to foster that partnership and establish collaborations with other universities.
Sun has been at NASA’s Ames Research Center since 1988, endeavoring to find ways to extend life in space and enable advanced air mobility. While doing so, he enjoys helping people and organizations to grow and be more collaborative. In 2020, he was named the deputy director for Programs and subsequently served several stints as the acting director. Before that, he was the associate director for Life in Space, chief of the Space Biosciences Division, and worked in aeronautics, space biology, human capital, life support systems, data systems, and flight systems development. Certified as a professional coach in 2008, he has been helping people at Ames and other NASA centers become stronger leaders. He has a Bachelor of Science degree from Case Western Reserve University and a Master of Science degree from University of California, Berkeley.