Christopher J. Saldana

Dr. Christopher J. Saldana is the Ring Family Professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology's School of Mechanical Engineering. He joined Georgia Tech in 2014 after serving as the Harold and Inge Marcus Career Professor at Pennsylvania State University. His research focuses on manufacturing science, additive manufacturing, and materials processing, with an emphasis on linking process parameters to material performance. He has held visiting positions at institutions globally, including the US Air Force Research Laboratory and Technische Universität Dortmund.

Dr. Saldana holds a PhD (2010) and MS (2006) from Purdue University and a BS (2004) from Virginia Tech. His work is supported by agencies like NSF, DARPA, and industry partners including Delta Airlines and Ford. He serves on editorial boards for journals such as IISE Transactions and Manufacturing Letters.

His research interests include:

• Hybrid additive/subtractive manufacturing frameworks
• Process qualification tools for smart manufacturing
• Multi-scale materials characterization (SEM/TEM, EBSD, XRD)
• Industry 4.0 integration in manufacturing systems

Notable contributions include R&D100 awards (2010) and an NSF CAREER Award (2013). His group operates advanced facilities including powder feed directed energy deposition systems and laser powder bed fusion platforms.

Grants and projects span government-industry collaborations, with ongoing work on digital manufacturing and bio-inspired materials. He advises graduate students through Georgia Tech's mechanical engineering program and holds patents in machining processes and surface engineering.