For Chris, 31, his love of engineering started with tinkering with homemade rockets. Despite struggling to find accessible aerospace-related opportunities in high school, he developed a passion for concept aircraft design, which led him to pursue degrees in aerospace engineering. A first-generation college graduate, he now works as a program manager for Lockheed Martin’s power and propulsion portfolio, also focusing on hypersonic technologies.
What’s your aerospace origin story?
I grew up going to air shows and wanted to fly planes. Because I came from a lower socioeconomic background, I thought being a pilot was a more attainable career than being an engineer. I always knew that going to college would be a pretty big lift for me because I’d be the first in my family to go.
Later, I got hooked on engineering while helping with my dad’s small aerial photog- raphy business. I remember trying to build rockets with what I had, like sugar and cat litter. When the time came to think about college, I worried a lot about getting in and getting funding. The University of Michigan was the place that recognized my potential and gave me a scholarship that made attending possible. I worked really hard and kind of flourished from there.
Favorite thing about your job?
The breadth of programs I’ve been able to work on and experiences I’ve been able to have. I’ve been fortunate to have so far worked on everything from hybrid airships — the slowest of moving vehicles — to hypersonics. It’s only at Lockheed that I can consult on a space program in the morning and do hypersonics work in the afternoon. Being able to move from research and development to advanced programs keeps me going back to work.
What motivates you?
It’s kind of two parts. There’s the Lockheed mission of protecting our warfighters and deterring conflict. And then there’s the people connection, the community. I really enjoy that each day I get to work with people from all different backgrounds, whether it’s working in the lab, on the manufacturing floor or with the company executives. I try to bridge the divide we often have between blue- and white-collar. I find some of the most interesting conversations and innovations happen at the intersection of those two categories.
What tech outside your field fascinates you?
Space exploration. I love when I can read more about that. Outside of aerospace overall, it’s biomedical and biotech.
What will the world look like in 2050?
I see three areas of major change: AI will be more at the birth of future efforts, and many of us will be AI practitioners. Quantum will transform the way we communicate, sense and maybe even compute. And the one I’m most excited about — energy grid transformation — will give us a modern architecture with different ways of getting energy from place to place and a chance to rethink the grid we take for granted today.
MORE ABOUT CHRIS
AIAA RECORD: Joined as a student member in 2012 and became an associate fellow in January. He credits attending SciTech Forum and networking with helping him secure a Lockheed Martin internship, and eventually a “dream job” stint with Skunk Works in 2019. “It really allowed me to meet a bunch of people who believed in me early on. AIAA sort of looked beyond the experiences I didn’t have and gave me a chance.”
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering, University of Michigan, 2016. Master’s degree in aerospace engineering, University of Michigan, 2017.
GIVING BACK: He co-founded the Aerospace Robotics Competition (ARC) in 2014, a nonprofit that provides low-cost drone kits to encourage underrepresented students and schools to participate in flight competitions. Stemming from an AIAA working group on STEM K-12 education and initially funded by the AIAA Foundation, ARC hosts regional competitions where students can learn about software development, unmanned aerial vehicles and flight autonomy. “At first, my motivation was my shared experience growing up in a lower socioeconomic status with a school that didn’t have these experiences. After our first program, we got notes from the students about how it really opened their eyes to aerospace. Hearing those stories — that’s what motivated us to keep going.”
