August 25, 2006

Sallie A. Keith
Media Relations Office
216-433-5795
sallie.keith@nasa.gov

RELEASE: 06-047

DR. JIH-FEN LEI NAMED DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY AT GLENN

Glenn Research Center Director Dr. Woodrow Whitlow Jr. recently named 
Dr. Jih-Fen Lei as the new director of Research and Technology.

She leads a staff of 500 civil service employees conducting advanced 
research in power and electric propulsion, high temperature materials 
and structures, communications technology, instrumentation and 
control, propulsion systems, microgravity science and biotechnology.

Lei succeeds Dr. Theo G. Keith Jr. who retired from the University of 
Toledo thus ending his Intergovernmental Personnel Assignment with 
NASA.

Since joining Glenn in 1998, Lei has served as chief of Glenn's 
Instrumentation and Controls Division, project manager of the 
Nanotechnology Project under NASA's Propulsion and Power Base 
Program, and chief of Glenn's Sensor and Electronics Technology 
Branch. Lei became deputy director of Glenn's Research and Technology 
Directorate in 2003.

"Jih-Fen will be a superb asset to our senior management team," said 
Whitlow. "Her technical expertise and leadership abilities will help 
this Center stand ready to meet the Nation's aeronautics and space 
goals."

Lei earned her bachelor's degree in physics from National Tsing-Hwa 
University, Taiwan, and her doctorate in material science and 
engineering from Northwestern University, Evanston, IL. She is also a 
graduate of the U.S. Government's Senior Executive Service Candidate 
Development Program. Lei has authored or co-authored over 95 
publications, given over 50 talks at various national and 
international technical conferences and received numerous awards 
including three R&D 100 Awards.

Print quality photos of Lei are at:



http://www.nasa.gov/centers/glenn/news/pressrel/2006/06-047addm.html 

	
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