Right after Keiko Nakamura-Messenger received her PhD in material science from Kobe University, Japan in 2002, she joined Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science Directorate at JSC. She is currently the deputy curation lead and a science team member for NASA's Origins Spectral Interpretation Resource Identification Security Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) mission. She is also a science team member of Japanese Hayabusa2 mission. Nakamura-Messenger has extensive experience with the curation and analysis of extraterrestrial materials, including: Stardust mission samples, interplanetary dust particles, and primitive meteorites. She is the lead discoverer of two new minerals, Brownleeite (MnSi) from a cometary dust and Wassonite (TiS) from Yamato 691 meteorite. Asteroid 7862 Keikonakamura (1981 EE28) is named after her for her work revealed the existence of organic globules in meteorites, furthering understanding of organic material in the solar system.

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)