Sandia engineer protects us from ourselves, each other
Dongmei Ye has spent her 23-year career working to keep the public safe. Her efforts have been instrumental in both research fields and the nuclear security enterprise. Her achievements in supporting Sandia’s nuclear weapons reliability mission have far-reaching impacts, safeguarding the health of the stockpile and underpinning the success of the national nuclear deterrent.
Fittingly, Dongmei recently received the Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers Career Achievement Award, which celebrates technical accomplishments and advancements in science, engineering and technology. This prestigious award recognizes exemplary leadership and volunteerism within the SASE community.
Bioengineering bonanza
In addition to her vital work as a weapons reliability engineer, Dongmei has developed bioengineering capabilities and led research teams addressing challenges in both the national biodefense mission and public health. Her notable accomplishments include a sophisticated synthesis system to generate and characterize potential bioagents, bioengineering of nerve agent countermeasures to combat biological weapons of mass destruction, ribosomal capture to rapidly identify emerging viral outbreaks and advancing therapeutics for Crohn’s disease.
When the urgent need for COVID-19 diagnostic testing arose at Sandia at the onset of the pandemic, Dongmei was called back from her reliability duties and stepped onto the frontline at Sandia’s COVID-19 diagnostic testing lab. Her efforts contributed to thousands of diagnostic tests being performed at Sandia, allowing the Labs to continue its national security work without interruption.
“For me, this award not only recognizes my personal achievements over the years, but also the environment in which I am able to succeed,” Dongmei said. “Sandia provides a platform for us to explore new career paths and expand technical skills into different mission areas. The levels of support, resources and expertise enable us all to excel in our work. Sandia demonstrates the potential of team science in developing solutions to our national security and other challenges.”
Accomplishments abound
Dongmei is a recipient of numerous national and international awards, has contributed to numerous high-impact publications and is a popular, sought-after speaker. Alongside her frontline work, she also has been actively involved in professional societies and research and development programs, fostering aspiring talents among clinicians, researchers and trainees. Dongmei established the design procedure for a local startup company and is actively engaged in K-12 education, cultural outreach and athletic programs.