Smith elected to National Academy of Engineering

Scott Smith, section head in the Manufacturing Science Division at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) for his national leadership in manufacturing and his contributions to improving machine tool system performance and the manufacturing of thin monolithic structures.

Election to membership is one of the highest professional honors accorded an engineer. Elected by his peers, Smith will be inducted at the NAE annual meeting October 3-5, 2026.

"I'm deeply honored," Smith said. "It is very humbling as I think back about all my friends and colleagues, many at ORNL, who helped me get here. It means a great deal that both the National Academy of Engineering and Oak Ridge National Laboratory recognize manufacturing as essential to the nation's economic strength and national security."

Smith joined ORNL in 2019 to establish advanced machine tool and precision machining capabilities within the Manufacturing Demonstration Facility. He was the catalyst in launching America's Cutting Edge, a national machine tool research and development initiative. He recruited and led the team that formed ORNL's Intelligent Machine Tool Group and, in 2023, was named section head of Precision Manufacturing and Manufacturing Innovation, overseeing multiple research groups spanning machining science, automation, systems design and robotics. Today, machining and machine tool research is a cornerstone capability across MDF, enabling the rapid transition of innovative ideas into functional prototype components for defense, aerospace and advanced manufacturing applications.

"Scott's election to the National Academy of Engineering recognizes not only his technical leadership in manufacturing and machining, but also the real-world impact of his work for U.S. industry and national security," said Susan Hubbard, ORNL deputy director for science and technology and an NAE fellow. "His thought and community leadership, paired with his ability to innovate and translate cutting-edge breakthroughs into deployable technologies exemplifies ORNL's mission to strengthen American competitiveness through innovation."

Smith's work in improving machine performance led directly to a shop-floor-friendly measurement system that determines machine tool performance capabilities. On average, every time the measurement system is utilized, metal removal rates improve by a factor of 4.7. This commercially deployed technology has generated more than $19 million in recurring annual cost savings and over 200,000 hours of recurring cycle-time reductions for U.S. manufacturers across automotive, aerospace and consumer electronics industries.

The academy also cited Smith's pioneering work in manufacturing thin, high-performance components as monolithic machined pieces rather than traditional sheet metal assemblies. The approach produces stronger, lighter parts at significantly lower cost and is now widely used in commercial and military aerospace, automotive and consumer electronics manufacturing.

Prior to joining ORNL, Smith served as chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where he led the expansion of one of the nation's largest mechanical engineering departments, and earlier as associate director of the Machine Tool Research Center at the University of Florida. He also served as assistant director for technology at the U.S. Advanced Manufacturing National Program Office.

Smith is the author of numerous technical publications, holds 14 patents and is a Fellow of the International Academy for Production Engineering, ASME and SME. His honors include the ASME Eugene Merchant Manufacturing Medal, the William T. Ennor Manufacturing Technology Award, two R&D 100 Awards and the ASME Dedicated Service Award. He is also an ORNL Corporate Fellow.

Smith joins ORNL colleagues Nancy Dudney, Thomas Kurfess, Susan Hubbard, Kathy McCarthy, Amit Goyal, Yilu Liu, George Pharr, Steven Zinkle, Ramamoorthy Ramesh, Jeffrey Wadsworth and David Sholl, who were previously inducted into the academy.

UT-Battelle manages ORNL for the DOE's Office of Science, the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States. The Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit energy.gov/science. - Tina M. Johnson