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Michael Nelson (Fed)
Research Chemist
Dr. Michael Nelson is a Research Chemist in the NIST Chemical Sciences Division and a Physical Scientist (detailee) of the NIST Office of Weights and Measures, Legal Metrology programs. He is primarily dedicated to the development of standards that promote US innovation and industrial competitveness.
Michael has held multiple leadership roles in representing the US and NIST to standards development organizations (SDOs), including the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), US Pharmacopeia (USP), and the National Conference on Weights and Measures (NCWM). He also represents US interestests at international treaty organizations dedicated to the harmonization of laws and regulations that facilitate international trade and promote consumer protections. He is a US delegate to the International Organization for Legal Metrology (OIML) and to the International Committee for Weights and Measures (CIPM) Consultative Committee of Amount of Substance (CCQM) working groups.
Michael is responsible for the development of a suite of laboratory QA/QC products (NIST Standard Reference Materials®) used throughout the world to ensure quality in health diagnostics, forensic analysis, food labeling, and pharmaceuticals regulation. He developed a “first-of-its-kind” primary standard (NIST PS1) for quantitative nuclear magnetic resonance (qNMR) methods that is used throughout the world to establish traceability of chemical measurement results to the International System of Units (SI).
Michael has expertise in the use of NMR spectroscopy. He has collaborated extensively with the NIST Statistical Engineering Division to develop new statistical methods and tools that help chemical analysts improve the efficiency and rigor of their measurements (ABACUS app). Additionally, he teaches graduate-level classes, both in the US and abroad, on fundamental principles of metrology and their practical application in measurement laboratories.
Awards
- U.S. Department of Commerce Bronze Medal Award, National Institute of Standards andTechnology (2023)
- U.S. Department of Commerce Bronze Medal Award, National Institute of Standards andTechnology (2018)
- Material Measurement Laboratory Service and Support Award, National Institute of Standards and Technology (2022)
- Cooperation on International Traceability in Chemistry in Analytical Chemistry, Best Publications Award (2021)
- Cooperation on International Traceability in Chemistry in Analytical Chemistry, Best Publications Award (2019)
- Material Measurement Laboratory Technical Outreach Award, National Institute of Standards and Technology (2017)
- ACS Student Chemistry Award, American Chemical Society, Maryland Section (2007)
