Dr. James King Jr. has been named assistant laboratory director for technical divisions at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory effective March 1, succeeding Kirk M. Dawson, who was earlier named JPL's associate director.
King has been deputy assistant laboratory director in the Office of Technical Divisions since January 1988.
He previously had served as technical manager for space science and applications, as program manager for astronomy and astrophysics, and program manager for atmospheric sciences.
King also served for two years in managerial positions in the Office of Manned Space Flight and in the Office of Space Sciences at NASA Headquarters.
From 1984 to 1986, King also served as a visiting professor of chemistry at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Ga.
Born in Columbus, Ga., in 1933, King earned a bachelor of science degree in chemistry at Morehouse College and, in 1955, a master's degree in chemistry at the California Institute of Technology. He earned his doctorate at Caltech in 1958 with a minor in physics.
King has published widely in science journals. He is a member of the honor society Sigma Xi, and the professional societies American Physical Society, the American Chemical Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
King is currently a member of the City of Pasadena Planning Commission, and has been a member or director of other community organizations including the city's Redevelopment Agency.
King was awarded a Danforth Fellowship and a General Education Board Scholarship in 1953, and among other honors and awards are a certificate of merit from the National Council of Negro Women in 1968 and the NASA Equal Opportunity Medal in 1986.
He is a resident of Pasadena and has two adult children.
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