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Government Agency Presentation: Air Force Research Laboratory

• 2012 MRS Spring Meeting & Exhibit

• April 9-13, 2012
• Moscone West Convention Center | Marriott Marquis - San Francisco, California-
• Meeting Chairs: Lara A. Estroff, Jun Liu, Kornelius Nielsch, Kazumi Wada

Materials and Future Aerospace Technologies—Challenges and Opportunities

Richard A. Vaia, Air Force Research Lab

Thursday, April 12
7:30 pm – 8:15 pm
Marriott Marquis, Yerba Buena Level, Salons 1, 2

Richard A. Vaia (view biography)
Technology Advisor
Nanostructured and Biological Materials Branch
Air Force Research Laboratory

Over 100 years ago, the Wright brothers took flight, in no small part due to material innovations. Today, circumnavigation of the globe by air is routine due to high-performance metal alloys, ceramics, and composites. The question for the future is: What are the next crucial material and processing innovations that will transform over the next decade aerospace science fiction to science fact? The Materials and Manufacturing Directorate of the Air Force Research Laboratory is driving this development through in-house research and strategic partnerships with industry and academia. Some of the critical material and processing challenges include sustainment, engineered resilient systems, efficient material and process design, autonomy, and human systems. For example, how can the use of computational tools and techniques accelerate materials development, reduce qualification cost, and provide flexible, in silico optimization of materials design, performance, and fabrication beyond that of a static material data sheet? How can we integrate this tailorability into agile manufacturing and design methods to further optimize the performance, cost, and durability of future resilient aerospace systems? What are the possibilities at the intersection of nanobased metamaterials, smart surfaces, and nanostructured devices with biology and biotechnology to enable autonomous systems that can achieve complex tasks in complex environments, and enhanced human-machine interfaces that ensure increased effectiveness and productivity of our human resources. These opportunities and associated challenges point toward future successes being based on highly effective, mutual communication and partnership between scientific innovation, manufacturing, and design. 

Richard A. Vaia Biography

Richard A. Vaia is the Technology Advisor of the Nanostructured and Biological Materials Branch at the U. S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). His research group focuses on polymer nanocomposites, complex nanoparticle architectures, and their impact on developing adaptive soft matter. He received his BS, MS, and PhD degree in Materials Science and Engineering at Cornell University (1991, 1993, 1995). His honors and awards include the Doolittle Award (American Chemical Society PMSE, 2009); Air Force Outstanding Scientist (2002); Air Force Office of Scientific Research Star Team (2001-2013); and Fellow of the American Physical Society (2011), American Chemical Society, PMSE Division (2011), and Air Force Research Laboratory (2010). Vaia has served on numerous editorial boards, Board of Directors, and external review panels, and has authored over 160 peer-reviewed papers and patents.

Barry L. Farmer, Chief Scientist, AFRL Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, assisted in the preparation of this presentation.