Kamlesh Nilkanth Vyas (born 3 May 1957) is an Indian nuclear scientist and a distinguished Homi Bhabha Chair Professor at the Department of Atomic Energy. He served as Secretary to the Government of India, Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission of India. He took over the charge from Sekhar Basu, on 18 September 2018. He continued in office until the end of his extended tenure on 3 May 2023. Previously, he served as the director of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) from 2016 to 2018.
He has made contributions to several areas of nuclear engineering, particularly the design and analysis of nuclear reactor fuels, including the development of a novel fuel for strategic applications.
He held several honorary positions at various organizations. Dr Vyas served as a Nominee Director on the boards of Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited and Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Limited. Currently, he serves on two prestigious bodies representing Tata Trusts: the Court of IISc as a Tata Trusts nominee, and the Council of Management at TIFR.
Kamlesh Nilkanth Vyas was born on 3 May, 1957, in Gujarat. He completed B.E. in Mechanical Engineering from MS University, Vadodara in 1978. After graduation he was selected in 22nd Batch of the BARC Training School of BARC in 1979. After training he joined the Fuel Design & Development Section of the Reactor Engineering Division at BARC. He was later posted in Reactor Engineering Division of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre. Dr K.N. Vyas has worked for design & analysis of nuclear reactor fuels and he designed and developed a novel fuel for strategic applications.
Vyas received Indian Nuclear Society Outstanding Service Award in 2011. He has been conferred with DAE excellent award in 2007, 2008, 2012, 2012, 2013, The Homi Bhabha Science & Technology Award, 2006. He is a fellow of Indian National Academy of Engineering of India.