Emerging national leader in advanced manufacturing talent
May 13, 2025
UNC Charlotte home to a growing number of AM engineering research experts
Engineering research in manufacturing is increasingly central to American industry. The United States contributes 16% of global manufacturing output, second only to China, and is faced with a changing international trade ecosystem. To help maintain its leadership position in the world, the manufacturing industry must likewise be increasingly competitive, focusing not only on a large workforce and production volume, but also engineering research that advances the process efficiency and equipment quality.
UNC Charlotte’s William States Lee College of Engineering, recognizing that intensive research directly enhances competitiveness, has invested heavily in state-of-the-art facilities and the latest technical equipment, creating an ideal environment for research advancements. To lead the charge, the College has also developed a cadre of engineering experts in Charlotte, North Carolina, the largest city in the nation’s top state for manufacturing, Home to more than 15 research faculty members who focus directly on advanced manufacturing, this deep talent pool represents the growing prominence of the college in the national research landscape supporting the manufacturing industry. Following is a cross-section of these nationally recognized researchers, led by the W.S. Lee College of Engineering associate dean of research, Brigid Mullany.
Key Cornerstones for Leadership in Advanced Manufacturing Research
at UNC Charlotte’s W.S. Lee College of Engineering
Talent
CIRP Fellows, SME Fellows and leaders of national manufacturing research organizations
Resources
State-of-the-art facilities and the latest technical equipment
Location
Nation’s top state for manufacturing
Brigid Mullany, CIRP Fellow, SME Fellow and past president of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers’ North American Manufacturing Research Institution
Mullany is nationally and internationally recognized for her exemplary work in manufacturing and extensive experience with industry and federal agencies, including the National Science Foundation.
A professor of mechanical engineering and associate dean for research at UNC Charlotte’s W.S. Lee College of Engineering, Mullany led the college into its R1 status by developing a research-focused infrastructure aimed at supporting faculty in their research endeavors. Her own research background is in surface finishing and metrology and additive manufacturing, particularly ceramics.
Mullany is also a past president of SME’s North American Manufacturing Research Institution, received an NSF CAREER Award early in her career and earned a two-year EU Marie Curie postdoctoral research position at Carl Zeiss in Germany.
Mullany’s research interests also include additive manufacturing (metal), precision abrasive processes, machine learning frameworks, surface modification and characterization.
Jimmie Miller, Executive Director of the American Society for Precision Engineering
As chief engineer for UNC Charlotte’s Center for Precision Metrology, Miller has over three decades of experience in the science of measurement, which supports the design, development, and manufacturing for high-accuracy components, instruments, and machines.
In addition to teaching, Miller’s research interests include instrumentation, sensors, metrology systems and mathematical modeling of systems including metrology, geometric and calibration. His expertise in these areas prepared him well as he has served several leadership roles in both ASPE and ASME over the years. Miller holds several patents and is an accomplished author.
Ed Morse, ASME GD&T Professional – Senior Level and Director of the Center for Precision Metrology
As Norvin Kennedy Dickerson Jr. Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Morse leads UNC Charlotte’s Center for Precision Metrology, among the top research facilities of its kind in the western hemisphere. This alliance develops and integrates precision metrology into the manufacturing industry. Originally supported as a National Science Foundation Industry/University Cooperative Research Center (NSF I/UCRC), the CPM has grown into the leading dimensional metrology research center in North and South America.
At UNC Charlotte, Morse pursues research in large-scale metrology systems, including laser trackers, structured light systems, and photogrammetry and has further research specialties in coordinate measuring machines, computational metrology, geometric dimensioning and tolerancing, and more.Morse is a member of several ASME standards committees for both tolerancing and metrology, and is chair of ASME’s B89 committee for National Standards in dimensional metrology. Using his deep expertise in metrology, he is also a subject matter expert representing the United States in ISO Technical Committee 213 on geometric product specification and verification, and is recognized as an associate member of CIRP.
Jose Outerio, CIRP Fellow
Outeiro is an internationally recognized expert in advanced manufacturing, consistently ranked among Stanford’s list of top 2% of cited researchers. As a UNC Charlotte professor of digital and sustainable manufacturing, his research focuses on digital and sustainable manufacturing, modeling, simulation, and optimization of manufacturing processes, digital twin technology and surface integrity. His work has significantly advanced the understanding of functional performance and lifespan of components.
In addition to being a CIRP Fellow, Outeiro also serves as a member of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers and was previously a member of the Franco-German Institute of Industry of the Future and held leadership positions, such as co-vice president for research at the University of Burgundy-Franche-Comté. He is a recognized expert on various evaluation panels, including those of the National Science Foundation, European Science Foundation and the Foundation for Science and Technology.
Having authored over 200 scientific publications, his work has been featured in numerous presentations, lectures, and seminars across Europe and the U.S. He has led and participated in several national and international research projects, collaborating with academic and industrial partners worldwide.
Steve Schmid, SME Fellow and past president of the North American Manufacturing Research Institution of SME
A nationally known expert in manufacturing, Schmid focuses his research on additive manufacturing, metal forming, metal cutting and tribology at UNC Charlotte where he is the Belk-Woodward Distinguished Professor of Engineering. He was the first faculty fellow at the Advanced Manufacturing National Program Office at the Department of Commerce in 2012, where he helped develop the preliminary design document for Manufacturing USA Institutes. Schmid has served as president of the North American Manufacturing Research Institution of SME, and was named a Fellow of SME in 2017.
Schmid has authored over 200 peer-reviewed papers and presentations, and several books, including (with S. Kalpakjian), “Manufacturing Engineering and Technology,” the world’s most popular manufacturing textbook, which has been translated into 15 languages. At UNC Charlotte, Schmid serves as the director of the Center for Additive Manufacture of Advanced Ceramics.
ABOUT CIRP
The academy contributes to global economic growth and the well-being of society by promoting research and development in production engineering. CIRP takes its name from the French acronym Collège International pour la Recherche en Productique. CIRP’s mission is to promote, in the field of production engineering, research and development among its members in academia and industry, and to contribute to environmentally sustainable global prosperity and the well-being of society.