John D. Russell, DSc

Chief Engineer, Manufacturing and Industrial Technologies Division
Air Force Research Laboratory

Dr. John D. Russell is the Chief Engineer of the United States Air Force Research Laboratory’s Manufacturing and Industrial Technologies Division. In this role, he builds partnerships and with external customers across the Air Force, DoD, other government agencies, and industry in order to improve the capability and reduce the cost of Air Force weapon systems. Dr. Russell is one of the nation’s leading experts in the manufacturing of composite materials. He was the manager of the DoD’s largest composites program, the Composites Affordability Initiative, that enabled bonding of primary aircraft structures. Dr. Russell has a Doctor of Science degree in chemical engineering from Washington University in St Louis. He is a fellow of SME, the Society for the Advancement of Materials and Process Engineering (SAMPE), and the Air Force Research Laboratory.