Materials, Manufacturing, and Aerospace in 2030: Inventing the Stuff That Makes the Future
Dr. Richard A. Vaia is the Chief Scientist for Materials and Manufacturing Directorate at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). As the principal technical leader for the Directorate, he is responsible for the quality and impact to the USAF and USSF of the Department of the Air Force's Materials & Manufacturing internal and external research and development activities, as well as fostering a culture of innovation, establishing strategic partnerships, ensuring the required infrastructure, and developing a diverse technical workforce within the Directorate. Rich received his PhD (1995) from Cornell University in Materials Science and Engineering, and separated from the USAF as a Captain in 1999. He has published more than 250 articles on nanomaterials, with honors including membership in the National Academy of Engineering, AF McLucas Award for Basic Research, ACS Doolittle Award, Air Force Outstanding Scientist, Air Force Office of Scientific Research Star Teams, DARPA Service Chief Fellow, and Fellow of the Materials Research Society, American Physical Society, American Chemical Society, NextFlex, and the Air Force Research Laboratory.
Keynote Overview
Over a hundred years ago, the pioneers of aviation took flight in no small part due to material innovations ranging from novel casting of aluminum engine blocks to judicious selection of natural materials. Unquestionably, the future of aerospace will look as different from today as the Wright Flyer and Curtiss June Bug differ from UAVs and F35s. However, the role of materials and manufacturing will remain unchanged – they will be the crucial ingredient that enables these future machines to push the performance envelope. Crucial to this success is a shift from “what” to “how” via embracing technologies of the digital revolution to accelerate discovery & development, provide manufacturing agility and reduce platform cost.