With a passion for keeping people safe, Professor Sundaresan Jayaraman has been tapped to lead the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s (NASEM) Standing Committee on Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for Workplace Safety and Health as the new Chair. Jayaraman is one of four people to have chaired this committee. However, he is the first “non-physician” to fill the position, he said, making his appointment the first of its kind.

The role of the committee is to drive the advancements and changes that need to happen with PPE in the workplace to improve the lives and safety of workers in various industries. The committee realizes this goal by providing “a forum for the discussion of scientific and technical issues relevant to the development, certification, deployment, and use of personal protective equipment, standards, and related systems to ensure workplace safety and health,” according to the NASEM website. Jayaraman brings his extensive background of Engineering Design and Analysis of Intelligent Textile Structures and Processes; Design and Development of Respiratory Protection Systems; Enterprise Modeling and Architecture; and much more to his contributions to the committee.

Jayaraman’s journey with NASEM began in 2005 when he was a part of the founding of the very committee he now leads. Throughout his involvement and engagement with NASEM, he has worked on research at Georgia Tech that has a societal impact. For instance, his work from 2008 to 2010 anticipated the effects of a possible pandemic when the H1N1 virus was spreading and laid the foundation for the design of a reusable form-fitting mask to fit individuals accurately.

The unifying theme of his research portfolio is convergence, the seamless integration of materials, information, and technology to enhance quality of life. “What we do in our laboratory gives us a chance to work with the leading thinkers of the world in helping formulate public policy,” he said. Jayaraman is aware that this is a huge opportunity not only for himself, but also for Georgia Tech. “Being appointed Chair is a big honor for me and for Georgia Tech,” he said, “there’s a recognition of what we’re doing at Georgia Tech by ‘Creating the Next’ impacting public policy and doing good for the nation.”

When speaking with Jayaraman, his passion for helping humanity is more than evident. To him, the safety of workers is “paramount,” even among the challenges that come with his line of research. However, he knows there is an” emotional impact” with the work he is doing. He was invited by the National Academies to serve on a committee of three experts charged with assessing the effectiveness of fabric masks at the height of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Jayaramanwas on a panel that made a set of recommendations for the White House to the Office of Science Technology Policy (OSTP). Over the years, Jayaraman has served on nine Study Committees and recently chaired a Workshop on reusable healthcare textiles.

As he looks ahead to his three-year term, he hopes to harness the expertise of the different committee members to develop input to the National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory (NPPTL) of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to enhance workplace safety and health. “It is an amazing committee,” he said, expressing his admiration for every member and their unique perspectives. Though the focus is on workplace safety, Jayaraman envisions broader implications for the nation and public health. His ultimate goal for his role as Chair is simple, yet powerful: “I want to have created a safer and a better world… so that our lives are better.”