MABE Professor Chad Duty has been named the next CEO of IACMI—The Composites Institute, effective April 1, 2023.

“I’m excited for this opportunity to build upon IACMI’s accomplishments over the last several years,” said Duty, who holds a joint appointment with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). “We have a great team and outstanding partners who are pursuing highly innovative approaches to advanced composites that will help to secure the future of American manufacturing.”

Duty, who joined UT in 2013, comes to IACMI with more than 20 years of research experience in advanced manufacturing spanning technologies in thin film processing, printed electronics, solar energy and additive manufacturing of polymer composites.

“Chad has a strong track record of research and work involving advanced manufacturing techniques, and a long track record of working with industry to develop real solutions.” said Tickle College of Engineering Dean Matthew Mench, the Wayne T. Davis Dean’s Chair of the college. “I believe he is an ideal choice to lead IACMI as it continues to move the nation forward in developing and utilizing new composites.”

From 2004-13, Duty served as an ORNL research scientist in the Materials Science and Technology Division. He began his career as a senior aeronautical engineer at Lockheed Martin. He has a doctorate in mechanical engineering from Georgia Tech and a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Virginia Tech.

IACMI is a 130-plus member community of industry, universities, national laboratories, and federal, state and local government agencies working together to accelerate advanced composites design, manufacturing, technical innovation and workforce solutions to enable a cleaner and more sustainable, more secure and more competitive US economy.

“We are pleased to welcome Chad as the next CEO of IACMI,” said Maha Krishnamurthy, interim president of the University of Tennessee Research Foundation (UTRF), the sole corporate member of the nonprofit organization that operates IACMI. “Chad’s strong background in advanced manufacturing research, technical management, strategic planning, industrial collaborations, and working with a variety of stakeholders and funding agencies makes him well positioned to lead this organization in the future.”

Dale Brosius, IACMI’s chief commercialization officer and interim CEO, will continue to lead the full-scale daily operations of the institute until Duty assumes the CEO role. Brosius will continue in his roles as CCO and executive director of the IACMI Consortium.

Since 2015, IACMI has managed more than 60 collaborative and industry-led technical projects with greater than $200 million collectively in research and development value, leading to the commercialization of at least 15 new products. More than $400 million has been invested in a broad system of open-access facilities for demonstration at scale in eight states through the initiative. IACMI has engaged more than 9,000 individuals in composites training and STEM outreach and has placed more than 100 university interns.

Through collaboration with industry, academia and national laboratories, IACMI projects have demonstrated faster cycle times and lower costs for composite materials and structures, decreased carbon intensity and increased recyclability of composites.