Jay N. Meegoda, PhD, PE, is a professor and director of the Geotechnical Testing Laboratory in the department of civil and environmental engineering at New Jersey Institute of Technology. His research can be best described as the mechanics of geo-environmental engineering, where he utilizes scientific concepts and engineering technologies in real-world applications. He set up the centrifugal testing laboratory and the asphalt-testing laboratory for his research.

Meegoda is a co-principal investigator of a $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) with a $1 million match from NJIT to establish a state-of-the-art geo-environmental lab. He was one of the main players in writing the proposal, set-up and extensive use of this NSF-sponsored NJIT state-of-the-art geo-environmental laboratory. Under the heading of mechanics of geo-environmental engineering, Meegoda´s research can be further subdivided into five main trust areas: engineering properties of contaminated soils; centrifugal modeling of contaminant transport; micro-mechanics; reuse of contaminated soils; ultrasound research; and underground Infrastructure Initiative.