National Academy of Engineering

Aram Amassian

Aram Amassian is University Faculty Scholar and Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at NC State University. His research interests include the design of emerging semiconductor materials for thin film electronic and photovoltaic technologies. He is recognized for his contributions to formulation and processing science of thin film semiconductors where he pioneered and popularized several advanced in situ and inline characterization techniques. Amassian's recent focus is on accelerating the design and development of critical material technologies from lab-to-fab with the help of artificial intelligence, laboratory automation and sensor fusion. Amassian is Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and Optica (Optical Society of America). He has been a Highly Cited Researcher (ISI/Clarivate) since 2020, having authored 235 publications with an h-index of 93 (Scholar).

William B. Bonvillian

William B. Bonvillian is a Lecturer at MIT, and Senior Advisor for MIT’s Initiative on New Manufacturing. In recent years, he has helped lead major research projects on workforce education and technology policy. From 2006 until 2017, he was director of MIT’s Washington Office, supporting MIT’s longstanding role in science policy at the national level. He served as an advisor to MIT’s major cross-campus policy initiatives on advanced manufacturing, as well as on energy technology, life science convergence and online education. He was an MIT representative to the President’s industry-university Advanced Manufacturing Partnership (AMP) which formed U.S. manufacturing policies in the 2011-2016 period, including the development of the Advanced Manufacturing Institute program. He teaches courses on innovation systems and science and technology policy at MIT in the and Science Technology and Society and Political Science Departments. Previously, he worked for over 15 years on science and innovation issues as a senior advisor in the U.S. Senate, and earlier was a Deputy Assistant U.S. Secretary of Transportation.

His most recent book, Pioneering Progress – American Science, Technology and Innovation Policy was released in October 2024 by MIT Press. His book, with MIT Prof. Sanjay Sarma, Workforce Education – A New Roadmap (MIT Press), was released in 2021. He is also author with Peter L. Singer of a book on manufacturing innovation, Advanced Manufacturing – The New American Innovation Policies (MIT Press 2018) and, with Charles Weiss of Georgetown, of the books Technological Innovation in Legacy Sectors (Oxford University Press 2015) and Structuring an Energy Technology Revolution (MIT Press 2009). He was coeditor of and a contributor to the book The DARPA Model for Transformative Technologies (Open Book Publishers 2020). He is also the author of over sixty articles and book chapters. 

He serves on the National Academies of Sciences’ Board on Materials and Manufacturing, on its standing committee for its Innovation Policy Forum, was on its Board on Science Education for seven years and has served on nine other NAS committees, including four on manufacturing policy. In recent years, he chaired the standing Committee on Science and Engineering Public Policy (COSEPP) at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), served on the board of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, and is a member of the Babbage Forum at Cambridge University’s Institute for Manufacturing and of the Polaris Council of advisors to GAO’s science and technology group. He was named a AAAS Fellow in 2011, was awarded IEEE’s public service award in 2007, and has written and spoken extensively about science and technology and innovation policy issues. He has degrees from Columbia, Yale and Columbia Law. Further information is here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Boone_Bonvillian and https://www.bonvillian.org/cv

Dr. Henk Both

Dr. Both leads Anzu Partners' energy investment vertical. Anzu invests in early-stage hardware and software companies in high-growth industries including energy, aerospace & automotive, and life sciences.

After investment, Anzu partners with entrepreneurs by providing extensive operational support to our portfolio companies, including dedicated support with hands-on execution in both technical and non-technical roles.

Before Anzu, Dr. Both completed his PhD in Chemistry at Stanford University and worked as a management consultant in the Energy practice at Boston Consulting Group. His functional expertise includes energy storage, power generation, materials processing and characterization, and business operations.

Glen Burks

Glen Burks brings over 28 years of aviation experience to his role as the Vice President of Operations at Archer since early 2021. In his role, Glen leads the company’s operations strategy, ensuring Archer meets its aggressive expansion plans while guaranteeing world-class quality and reliability for Archer customers. In this role Glen led the manufacturing site selection process for Archer which resulted in Archer announcing Covington, Georgia as their manufacturing home.

Glen has worked in all areas of aerospace, spanning from test and development to full rate production on both commercial and military programs. He began his aviation career in the United States Marine Corps maintaining F-18 & H-1 aircraft. 

Prior to joining Archer, Glen served as the Vice President of Quality for Triumph Group, where he led a global team delivering complex aerostructures and assemblies for a $4B+ aerospace portfolio. Prior to Triumph, Glen spent 16 years at Bell Flight serving in both manufacturing and quality leadership roles across multiple sites and programs.

Thomas R. Kurfess

Thomas R. Kurfess is the Chief Manufacturing Officer of the Georgia Institute of Technology, and the Executive Director of the Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute. At Georgia Tech he is the HUSCO/Ramirez Distinguished Chair in Fluid Power and Motion Control and Regents’ Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Tech. He also serves as the Chief Technology Officer at the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences.  During 2019-2021 he was on leave serving as the Chief Manufacturing Officer and the Founding Director for the Manufacturing Science Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where he was responsible for strategic planning in advanced manufacturing. During 2012-2013 he was on leave serving as the Assistant Director for Advanced Manufacturing at the Office of Science and Technology Policy in the Executive Office of the President of the United States of America. In this position he had responsibility for engaging the Federal sector and the greater scientific community to identify possible areas for policy actions related to manufacturing. He was responsible for coordinating Federal advanced manufacturing R&D, addressing issues related to technology commercialization, identifying gaps in current Federal R&D in advanced manufacturing, and developing strategies to address these gaps. He served as the President of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers in 2023-2024 and was President of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers in 2018. He presently serves as an appointed member of the U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration, Advisory (NNSA) Committee for Nuclear Security, and as an appointed member of the U.S. Department of the Navy’s Science and Technology Board federal advisory committee. His research focuses on the design and development of advanced manufacturing systems targeting secure digital manufacturing, additive and subtractive processes, and large-scale production enterprises. Kurfess is an elected member of the National Academy of Engineering and is a Fellow of ASME, AAAS, and SME. He received his S.B., S.M. and Ph.D. degrees in mechanical engineering from M.I.T. in 1986, 1987 and 1989, respectively. He also received an S.M. degree from M.I.T. in electrical engineering and computer science in 1988.

Sarah Kurtz

Sarah Kurtz obtained her PhD in 1985 from Harvard University and is now a Distinguished Professor at the University of California Merced after more than 30 years working at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, in Golden, CO.  She is known for her contributions to developing multijunction, GaInP/GaAs solar cells, supporting the Concentrator Photovoltaic (PV) industry, and leading efforts on PV performance and reliability.  Her work has been recognized with a jointly received Dan David Prize in 2007, the Cherry Award in 2012, C3E Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016, and induction into the National Academy of Engineering in 2020.  At the University of California Merced she is working both to help the university grow and to support the Energy Transition by studying long-duration energy storage, monitoring of perovskite/silicon tandem modules, and starting a new study on agrivoltaics to help California sustain its agriculture with reduced water consumption while continuing to add more solar.

Dr. Tim Lieuwen

Dr. Tim Lieuwen is the Executive Vice President for Research, Regents’ Professor, holder of the David S. Lewis, Jr. Chair at Georgia Tech. His interests lie in the areas of clean energy and propulsion systems, energy policy, acoustics, fluid mechanics, and combustion. He works closely with industry and government, focusing particularly on fundamental problems that arise out of the development of clean combustion systems or utilization of alternative fuels. If you are a prospective graduate student and like making fire, making noise, and saving the planet --all at the same time-- these are all great problems to work on!

Dr. Lieuwen is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, a Foreign Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering, and a Fellow of four major societies. Other national awards include the ASME Westinghouse Gold Medal and AIAA Lawrence Pendray Award. He serves on governing or advisory boards of 3 DOE national labs (ORNL, PNNL, and NREL).  He has authored or edited four combustion books, including the textbook Unsteady Combustor Physics, and more than 400 other publications. He has also received five patents, all licensed to industry, and founded and serves as CTO of, TurbineLogic, an analytics firm working in the energy industry. He is a member of the National Petroleum Counsel and is editor-in-chief of an American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics book series.  

Dr. Rich Simmons

Dr. Rich Simmons currently Director of Research and Studies at Georgia Tech’s Strategic Energy Institute (SEI) where he leads cross-cutting energy projects with an emphasis on clean electric power, vehicle efficiency and alternative fuels. Over the past five years, Richard has provided the vision behind signature regional energy initiatives, including the Georgia’s Energyshed project, the Southeast Electric Transportation Regional Initiative (SETRI), the Model Solar Ordinance for Georgia, and convergence research programs in vehicle-grid, energy-public health and energy-national security. 

He is also a Principal Research Engineer and faculty instructor in the Georgia Tech School of Mechanical Engineering, and holds a courtesy appointment in GT’s School of Public Policy. Richard received his BSME from Georgia Tech, MSME and PhD from Purdue, and is a licensed professional engineer (PE) with more than 25 years of RD&D and leadership experience in automotive, alternative energy and fuels. From 2009 to 2012, he served a prestigious AAAS science policy fellowship at the U.S. Department of State, providing technical analysis on renewable energy. He has multiple patents and has authored numerous publications related to clean energy and electrified transportation. In 2022, he released “Energy 101 SE,” an open access 8-video short course that provides a high-level overview on energy supply, demand, policy and economics. 

Phil Sutton

Phil Sutton joined Kubota Manufacturing of America Corporation in 2005 and currently serves as Vice President of Administration.  In this role, he was instrumental in growing Kubota’s manufacturing base in Georgia from just two factories with 900 employees to three campuses and seven factories with over 3,500 employees today.  His trailblazing approach to workforce development included three pillars; High School Work Based Learning and College and Career Academy programs, Technical College Apprenticeship programs and College Internship and Co-Op programs. Kubota now routinely employes over 100 students each year with these programs as the cornerstone of workforce development efforts. 

A very active member of the community and service to the state, Phil was appointed by Governor Deal and reappointed by Governor Kemp to serve as a member of the Technical College System of Georgia State Board and the State Workforce Development Board.  He also recently served as Chairman of the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce and is currently a member of the Jackson EMC Board of Directors. 

Phil is also a retired veteran of the United States Air Force where he served in various capacities, including Law Enforcement Operations, Criminal Investigations, Antiterrorism, and Public Affairs.   

Phil has a bachelor’s degree in occupational education from Wayland Baptist University and a master’s degree in public administration from Troy University.  He is also a graduate of the 187^th Session of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia.

Phil and his wife Sue live on a working farm in Banks County where they raise registered Hereford cattle. The couple have two adult sons who live in the local area with their families. 

Dr. Ben Wernette

Dr. Ben Wernette is a Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) expert with a strong track record in research, development, and project leadership. Currently serving as Principal Scientist and Strategic Partnerships Lead at the Southern States Energy Board, he, along with his colleagues, has secured over $150 million in federal funding for innovative CCUS initiatives, including the Southeast Direct Air Capture (SEDAC) Hub. Beyond this, Dr. Wernette has extensive experience engaging with stakeholders, including legislators and regulators, to bridge the gap between science and policy. With advanced degrees in Geochemistry and Geology from Duke University, Indiana University, and Auburn University, Dr. Wernette brings interdisciplinary expertise to bridging theory and application in energy and environmental projects. He is also a mentor and active member of the geoscience community, committed to advancing sustainable solutions and fostering educational growth.

Gleb Yushin

Gleb Yushin is a Professor of Materials Science at Georgia Institute of Technology, an Editor-in-Chief for Materials Today and Co-Founder & CTO of Sila Nanotechnologies, Inc.. Together with Matt, Gleb serves as a co-director of Georgia Tech Advanced Battery Center (GTABC). Gleb has co-authored over 180 peer-reviewed publications, and over 240 patents and patent applications. For his contributions to the development of energy storage materials Gleb has received numerous awards and was elected to be a Fellow of multiple organizations: the International Society of Electrochemistry (ISE), the Materials Research Society (MRS), the Electrochemical Society (ECS), the EU Academy of Sciences, and the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). Gleb holds BS and MS degrees in Physics from Polytechnic Institute and a PhD in Materials Science from North Carolina State University (NCSU). 

Dr. Chuck Zhang

Dr. Chuck Zhang is a Eugene C. Gwaltney, Jr. Chair and Professor in the H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial & Systems Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology. He is also an affiliated faculty at the Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute and an adjunct professor in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at Tech. Currently, Dr. Zhang serves as a Program Director at National Science Foundation (NSF) Directorate for Technology Innovation and Partnerships. He received his Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from the University of Iowa. Prior to joining NSF, he served as the Director of the NSF Industry/University Cooperative Research Center (IUCRC) for Composite and Hybrid Materials Interfacing (CHMI) from 2021 to 2024. His current research interests include additive manufacturing, biomanufacturing, composite structures manufacturing and maintenance, and applications of AI/ML to advanced manufacturing. As PI and Co-PI, Dr. Zhang has led or conducted more than 60 research projects sponsored by numerous federal agencies and industrial and other organizations. He is a fellow of Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE). Dr. Zhang has published over 220 refereed journal articles and 210 conference papers. He also holds 27 U.S. patents.