He succeeds Shekar Basu, who was in October appointed as Atomic Energy Secretary and Chairman of Atomic Energy Commission.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved Vyas' name for a period of three years, an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training said.
Vyas, who has made outstanding contributions in the area of design and development of a novel fuel, is a recipient of the Science and Technical Excellence awards.
He is currently working as the associate director at BARC, as per its website.
It is a multi-disciplinary research centre with extensive infrastructure for advanced research and development covering the entire spectrum of nuclear science, engineering and related areas.