Keynote Speakers

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The Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) announced today that Christopher J. Saldaña has been selected to serve as the Director of EERE’s Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office (AMMTO).

As the AMMTO Director, Saldaña will be charged with executing AMMTO’s mission to inspire people and drive innovation to transform materials and manufacturing for America's energy future. He will be responsible for addressing market challenges and identifying opportunities to advance manufacturing technologies and materials, as well as sustainable supply chains, to drive economic competitiveness and pursue a net-zero emission economy. These efforts will capitalize on the latest scientific advances and accelerate the transition from innovation to commercialization.

“This is an incredible opportunity to support America's leadership in clean energy manufacturing technologies, materials, and supply chains,” says Saldaña of his AMMTO Directorship. “I am very excited for the opportunity to work with the talented team at DOE and lead coordination across industry, academia, national laboratories, and other public agencies to bolster our nation's economic competitiveness and to achieve the goal of an equitable, clean energy and net zero emission economy.”

Saldaña comes to DOE from Georgia Tech’s George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering where he has worked since 2014. Prior to that role, he held the Harold and Inge Marcus Career Professorship at the Pennsylvania State University and worked as a research engineer at M4 Sciences Corporation. Saldaña has also previously held visiting affiliations/positions with the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, the Indian Institute of Science, Technische Universität Dortmund, Autodesk, and Sandia National Laboratories. He received a B.S. from Virginia Tech in 2004, and an M.S. and Ph.D. from Purdue University in 2006 and 2010, respectively.

AMMTO welcomes Dr. Saldaña to the role of Director as the office continues its work to advance materials and manufacturing for our clean energy future.

"Achieving Manufacturing Resilience"

Federico Sciammarella is the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at MxD (Manufacturing times Digital). His role involves managing a portfolio of emerging technologies and fostering academic engagement to bridge the gap between early-stage research and industry application. The main objective of this initiative is to expedite the development and implementation of new technologies, with industry collaboration, to drive innovation and increase competitiveness within the industry. Federico is also involved in MxD's collaborations with the Department of Defense (DoD), contributing to projects aligned with the DoD's strategic objectives, such as developing applications for defense logistics and process certification.

Federico was previously an associate professor at Northern Illinois University, where he directed the Advanced Research in Materials and Manufacturing for more than ten years, which generated over 2.5 million dollars in funding and created a launch pad for many students and technologies in advanced manufacturing. He has many publications and patents for laser-assisted machining and additive manufacturing applications. His experience creating research, which always focused on industry applications, fits perfectly into the MxD mission of providing value to its membership.

Federico received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in Metallurgy and Material Science Engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology. He is deeply passionate and excited about shaping the future. His vision and dedication inspire hope for the industry's potential.