Slade Gardner, PhD

Dr. Slade Gardner is president of Big Metal Additive, a company advancing large scale metal hybrid additive manufacturing. Dr. Gardner has led BMA from startup to an internationally recognized company serving customers in space, aeronautics, maritime, heavy equipment, automotive and energy markets, as well as the DoD. He is the 2022 SME Additive Manufacturing Industry Achievement award winner recognizing outstanding accomplishments of significant impact advancing industrial additive manufacturing. Previously, Slade was distinguished Fellow at Lockheed Martin Space Systems and Fellow at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Skunk Works™. He has advised corporations and institutes for strategy and development priorities for market adoption; and served national laboratory, US Government, and industry boards, notably as chair of External Advisory Board for Sandia National Lab’s ‘Born Qualified’ program, board member of Additive Manufacturing Coalition and board member of Colorado Advanced Manufacturing Association. He guest lectures for university courses, and has mentored entrepreneurs through the NSF iCorp program. His PhD in Chemical Engineering was earned under fellowship of the NSF Science and Technology Center at Virginia Tech and his BS is from Lafayette College. Personal interests include traveling and dining with his wife, all seasons of mountain sports, and he is an avid motorcycle enthusiast.