Invited by INSAIT: Bulgaria welcomes NASA’s longtime Science Director who led the Perseverance rover mission and the James Webb Space Telescope

Prof. Thomas Zurbuchen, former NASA Science Director and now professor at ETH Zurich, is coming to Bulgaria at the invitation of INSAIT. INSAIT, part of Sofia University, is organizing the first international forum on Geospatial AI and Applications with Foundation Models – GAIA 2025, which will take place on September 24–25, 2025 in Sofia.

Prof. Zurbuchen, who will deliver a lecture at the event, is the first Swiss recipient of the prestigious AIAA von Braun Award for outstanding contributions to the leadership of space programs. At NASA, and led key missions such as the James Webb Space Telescope and the Perseverance Mars rover. He is also the longest-serving Science Director in the history of the American space agency. He is the founder of ETH Zurich Space, a new center at ETH that includes the specialized Master’s program “Space Systems”, which aspires to become one of the leading space programs worldwide. The center actively collaborates with ESA (the European Space Agency) and industry.

Many other leading experts in the field will also arrive in Bulgaria at the INSAIT organized GAIA event. Amongst them are scientists and experts from world-renowned institutions, including Google Research, INSAIT and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The event will showcase the latest achievements in AI, geospatial science, climate research, and Earth observation, providing a platform for knowledge exchange and collaboration.

More about the event, program, speakers, and registration link: https://gaia.insait.ai/