[3][4] Prior to this, he was Professor of Space Science and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Michigan, where he helped found the Center for Entrepreneurship.

[citation needed] Zurbuchen served as team leader for the development of one of the scientific instruments aboard NASA's Messenger spacecraft to Mercury, the Fast Imaging Plasma Spectrometer.

[12][4] Among them were the James Webb Space Telescope, Perseverance and Ingenuity Mars Landings, DART, and many others for which he was responsible, and to the success of which he contributed majorly.

[13][4] Due to his work, Zurbuchen is routinely featured in interviews, public lectures, and podcasts, focussed on leadership innovation and management techniques, especially in complex organizations.

[18][19] From August 2023, Zurbuchen will be director of ETH Zurich Space,[20] after having spent his entire professional career in the United States.