Nealey studied chemical engineering at Rice University, then earned a doctorate in the subject from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
He undertook postdoctoral research at Harvard University before working for Solvay et Compagnie in Brussels.
[3][1] He was granted fellowship in the American Physical Society in 2008 "[f]or fundamental and insightful research on the dimension dependent properties of polymer nanostructures, the directed self-assembly of block copolymers, and their application in the development of advanced lithographic materials and processes.
"[4] Nealey later joined the University of Chicago as the Brady W. Dougan Professor in Molecular Engineering,[1] and also accepted a joint appointment to the Argonne National Laboratory's Material Science Division.
[5] In 2018, Nealey was named a member of the National Academy of Engineering "[f]or the development of directed self-assembly of block copolymers as an industrially significant process for nanolithography.