Meyya Meyyappan is Chief Scientist for Exploration Technology at NASA Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, CA. He joined NASA Ames in 1996 and the following year, started the NASA Ames Center for Nanotechnology (NACNT). Dr. Meyyappan was a founding member of the Interagency Working Group on Nanotechnology(IWGN) established by the US Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). The IWGN was responsible for putting together the US National Nanotechnology Initiative.

Dr. Meyyappan served as the Director of the NACNT until 2006 and the Center had about 65 scientists and engineers, in addition to students and visiting scholors, working on various aspects of nanotechnology including carbon nanotubes, nanomaterials, nanoelectronics, computational nanotechnology, chemical and bio sensors, flight instrumentation, detectors, optoelectronics and related areas. The focus was to investigate the benefits of nanomaterials for miniaturization of science payload and affordable space missions. The Center was a prolific contributor to the nanotechnology literature through publications and inventions and has been one of the most recognized and praised activities in nanotechnology in the world.
Dr. Meyyappan’s research interests are in the areas of carbon nanotubes and inorganic nanowires for various applications in electronics, opteoelectronis, sensors and instrumentation. He has authored or co-authored over 175 articles in peer-reviewed journals and made over 200 Invited/Keynote/Plenary Talks in nanotechnology subjects across the world.
Dr. Meyyappan has been recognized by his peers for his scientific contributions. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the Electrochemical Society (ECS), AVS, and the California Council of Science and Technology. He is the IEEE Nanotechnology Council Distinguished Lecturer on Nanotechnology, IEEE Electron Devices Society Distinguished Lecturer, and ASME’s (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) Distinguished Lecturer on Nanotechnology (2004-2006). He served as the President of the IEEE’s Nanotechnology Council in 2006-2007.

For his contributions and leadership in nanotechnology, he has received numerous awards including: a Presidential Meritorious Award; NASA’s Outstanding Leadership Medal; Arthur Flemming Award given by the Arthur Flemming Foundation and the George Washington University; 2008 IEEE Judith Resnick Award; IEEE-USA Harry Diamond Award; AIChE (American Institute of Chemical Engineers) Nanoscale Science and Engineering Forum Award. For his educational contributions, he has received: Outstanding Recognition Award from the NASA Office of Education; the Engineer of the Year Award (2004) by the San Francisco Section of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA); IEEE-EDS Education Award.