WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- A senior research scientist at the Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, was inducted as a 2016 ASM International Fellow at an awards ceremony in Salt Lake City, Utah, October 26.
Dr. Roland Dutton, chief, Manufacturing and Industrial Technologies Division, was recognized as a leading authority on integrated computational materials science and engineering and for his lifetime achievements in metals and composite materials processing by the association, an esteemed honor and professional milestone for the researcher.
“This award is an affirmation that the materials challenges we solve for the Air Force are of high value to the materials community,” said Dutton. “To me, this is a unit award. Everything that I have achieved throughout my career was possible because of the teams and people I have worked with along the way.”
ASM International has more than 30,000 members and is the largest association of metals-focused materials professionals in the world. The organization acts as a catalyst for information sharing, research and education worldwide, with the aim of promoting innovation in materials development globally.
The ASM fellow honor recognizes members for outstanding performance and accomplishments in diverse phases of materials science, engineering and manufacturing. Few achieve the honor, further establishing Dutton as a foremost authority in the field.
“My role models, mentors and the teams I've worked with made this happen. You can’t do it alone,” he said.
Dutton began his career at AFRL in 1992, working in the laboratory setting where he researched processing fundamentals for metals, ceramics and metal-matrix composites for high temperature applications. His work during the 1990s led to two U.S. patents centering on high temperature processing systems and sensors.
From 1999 to 2004, Dutton managed the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s Accelerated Insertion of Materials program which developed innovative methodologies for incorporating new materials and processes into aerospace systems. This effort was one of the first to apply Integrated Computational Materials Engineering in the Department of Defense, helping to link developments from the lab with industry and academia in the aerospace sector.
Dutton’s career progression included promotions to a number of management positions with increasing levels of responsibility. His titles have included section chief, branch chief, program manager, technical advisor and his present position as division chief for the Directorate’s ManTech division, where he oversees a budget of more than $200 million dollars focused on development and application of advanced manufacturing processes and technologies for the next-generation of military systems.
Dutton has also authored or co-authored more than 40 publications on a variety of subjects, and he is often invited to present at high-level conferences and symposiums due to his expertise.
Though his career has led to many scientific achievements, Dutton says that the most rewarding aspect of his profession is the opportunities he’s had to mentor and work with other scientists and engineers across the spectrum.
“There are so many people around the lab that I worked with once upon a time who are now leading teams and accomplishing great things themselves,” said Dutton. “That's the real reward.”
Dutton plans to continue his work leading the next generation of scientists and engineers at AFRL while helping to drive technology and research into the future.
“This is the best job in the world,” he said. “I get to work with sharp people on relevant work and do good things for the Air Force every day. It doesn’t get much better than that.”