Diandra Leslie-Pelecky

Diandra Leslie-Pelecky earned undergraduate degrees in physics and philosophy from the University of North Texas and a Ph.D. in condensed matter physics from Michigan State University. She was a professor in the Department of Physics at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln for 14 years and currently serves as a professor of physics at West Virginia University.

Leslie-Pelecky has been a prominent researcher in nanomedicine, focusing on magnetic nanoparticles used in medical diagnosis and treatment, including drug delivery systems, magnetic resonance imaging, and chemotherapy. Her research now largely concentrates on magnetic nanomaterials and their applications in targeted cancer therapies, diagnosing diseases at the cellular level, and using MRIs to monitor brain chemistry. She has developed educational materials on NASCAR science for middle and high schools, continuing her commitment to improving science education at all levels.

She is the author of "The Physics of NASCAR," a book that was excerpted by TIME magazine and featured in Sporting News magazine. Leslie-Pelecky blogs about the science of auto racing at Building Speed and appears periodically on the SiriusXM Speedway satellite radio program (NASCAR Channel 90) to discuss tech-related events in racing. She has also contributed to motorsports programming on various channels and the National Science Foundation’s Science of Speed web series. Recognized for her ability to communicate complex scientific concepts, Leslie-Pelecky has been a Sigma Xi Distinguished Speaker and regularly presents to both technical and non-technical audiences.