Bruce C. Murray

Who was Bruce C. Murray?

Bruce C. Murray was born November 30, 1931 in New York, NY. He is a professor emeritus of planetary science and geology at Caltech and was Director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory from April 1, 1976 to June 30, 1982.

He received his Ph.D. in geology from MIT in 1955 and was employed by Standard Oil of California, the USAF, and the United States Civil Service before joining Caltech in 1960. He became an associate professor in 1963, a full professor in 1969, and a professor emeritus in 2001.

With Carl Sagan and Louis Friedman, Murray founded The Planetary Society. He also served a term as its chair.

Murray was the recipient of the 1997 Carl Sagan Memorial Award. In 2004, Murray was awarded the Telluride Tech Festival Award of Technology in Telluride, Colorado.

Murray is married to Suzanne Moss, and they have five children.