Gavin Garside, Ph.D. Email & Phone Number

• Founded on the principle that access to industry-leading professionals should be accessible to both small and large business. Some completed targeted consulting topics include:
• Contributed to 143 successful orbital-class rocket launches delivering payload to intended orbit
• Development of material qualifications programs including test plans, data analysis, material allowables calculations, etc.
• Thermal spray optimization and processing including cold spray, HVOF, and arc plasma spray
• Hot and cold processing methodology of metals to set up robust supply chains
• Analysis and compilation of mechanical test data including (cryogenic, room temperature, elevated temperature) tensile, creep, fatigue, bend, etc.

Seattle, Washington, US

• Metallurgy subject matter expert for USNC. Responsible for turning an empty warehouse bay into a world-class materials research, development, and prototype generation facility creating production-ready nuclear.
• Produced worlds' first crack-free commercially-produced hydride, demonstrating solid/monolithic hydride formation capability up to hydrogen to metal atomic (H/M) ratios of 1.7 for zirconium hydrides and 1.85 for.
• Lead inventor, and first name author of, "Encapsulation of Volatile Materials in Refractory Containers.” Devised pathway, and drove development of method of canning/encapsulating hydrogen gas and solids inside hermetic.
• Conceptualized, developed, and matured nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP) fuel manufacturing methods earning $5M from NASA to further develop and characterize manufactured fuels. Led to demonstration of 35+ channel.
• Lead inventor, and first name author of, "Spiral NTP Fuel for Power Flattening" a method utilizing 3d printing to address power peaking in nuclear thermal propulsion engines
• Commissioned multiple vacuum/hydrogen/argon furnaces for specialty processes. Performed upgrades to enable vacuum hot gas extraction material evaluation using hydrogen leak detection equipment. Created all.

Seattle, US

• Led nationwide team through development and generation of a novel nuclear fuel prototype securing a $5M contract from NASA and the DoE to develop reactor designs for space-based nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP)
• Responsible for budgeting and overseeing approx. $1.3M in private capital and operational spend, leading to demonstrated rapid prototypes including process design, manufacturing, generation, and testing/evaluation..
• Principal Investigator for $150k Phase 1 NASA SBIR award leading to successful $1M Phase 2 award, “Ultrahigh-Temperature Material Property Testing Above 2000C in Vacuum and Hot Hydrogen”, for design of a novel.
• Grew and mentored two engineers into thriving project leads responsible for creation of milestones, schedule planning, budgeting, and subsequent project updates and oversight.
• Collaborated with local nuclear industry professionals and local government officials to pursue funding from Utah State for radiological research at the San Rafael Energy Research Center
• Designed and developed cost-effective and rapid on-demand production method for commercial atomic batteries (CABs) manufacturing to be utilized in missions spanning the solar system

Seattle, US

• Responsible for technical and project management of nuclear fuel and materials projects, coordinating staff assigned to projects, pursuing professional development activities, and contributing to new business.
• Leads and acts as primary point-of-contact of USNC-Tech’s team of advanced material research and development in collaboration with the Principal Materials Research Scientist
• Researches, analyses, designs, and tests various materials for use in applications such as nuclear thermal propulsion, radiation shielding, and nuclear fuels
• Establishes material development laboratories focused on rapid prototyping and environmental testing
• Creates and executes material test plans
• Identifies promising materials and developing plans to achieve company objectives

Hawthorne, California, US

• Process engineering development team manager for Materials Engineering Department. SME for high temperature and refractory alloys. Lead metallurgist for Merlin Vacuum Engine. Manages Materials Development personnel.
• Contributed to the success of 88 orbital-class rocket launches delivering payload to intended orbit
• Principal Investigator for high temperature alloy research program earning $10M in funding from the Air Force
• Invented and matured a low-cost metal powder oxygen dispersion strengthening (ODS) process increasing high temperature material strength, process-ability, and environmental properties.
• Responsible for $7M+ of SpaceX funded CAPEX budgets for lab buildout and metals processing capability enhancements including equipment selection, installation, and commissioning of equipment.
• Led build-out and managed budgets for 15,000-sq. ft. Materials Engineering Laboratory Center of Excellence

Hawthorne, California, US

• Works as subject matter expert for high temperature and refractory alloys. Leading metallurgist for the Merlin Vacuum Engine Nozzle Extension. Development engineer in alloy and metal development/processing programs..
• Established the first R&D metals processing laboratory at SpaceX to bring new material processing capabilities internally, drastically reducing project development timelines by turning an empty warehouse into a center.
• Invented a high-performance alloy with substantially higher-strength properties over an existing alloy allowing substantial weight reduction while maintaining all design criteria
• Identified, pioneered, and currently managing alternative additive manufacturing processes projected to reduce cost of flight hardware, saving a minimum of $500,000 per flight, while increasing material yield from 60%.
• Organized and led technical exchanges with domestic and international equipment vendors to identify customized processing equipment capable of producing higher quality parts with improved repeatability and.
• Responsible for on/under budget capital expenditure requests for lab capability growth. Manages equipment selection, purchase, installation, commissioning, training, and operation

• Held “dotted line” team management responsibilities with Floor Operations professionals (results reporting). Oversees comprehensive additive manufacturing development, including ongoing product evaluation, as well as.
• Utilized 3D Systems ProX200 and ProX300 to drive additive manufacturing development, optimizing material properties, density and input powder.
• Helped pioneer a technique blending emerging technologies with mature technologies (3-D printed parts and deep draw) to achieve a final product for customers lacking unnecessary welds and featuring enhanced material.
• Employed aggressive LEAN/Six Sigma techniques to successfully analyze, identify and reduce yield losses on Legacy products (zirconium crucibles). Interfaced with experienced operators to provide thought leadership in.

Dallas, Texas, US

• Responsible for guiding new materials development across the enterprise to produce and promote materials that both met industry standards and exceeded customer expectations. Led ongoing, collaborative process.
• Researched, developed and implemented a new, proprietary alloy processing method leveraging a two-step cold rollability/fastener application process (a technique traditionally unique to nickel)—resulting in a 10%.
• Utilized LEAN/Six Sigma analytical tools (DMAIC, f-tests, t-tests, design of experiment, fishbone diagrams, multiple regression) to successfully decrease process variability, and solve for formability and surface.
• Systematically optimized equipment processes to realize 20% efficiency gains, removal of an entire process step, and defect discovery through root cause analysis. Project Technical Manager, Master Alloys and Nickel.
• Employed a consultative approach to service delivery; worked directly with customers developing master alloys (e.g., leveraged thermite process to achieve ultra-high melting temperatures) facilitating less expensive.
• Gained valuable experience with VIM, ESR, VAR, forging, extrusion, casting, pilgering, drawing, rolling, heading, and finishing equipment and practices, as well as Fe, Ti, Ni, Zr, Nb, Ta, Hf, V, Mo, and W alloys.

• Dissertation: "Probing of Local Atomic Structure Using EXAFS and Study of Magnetostriction in Iron-Alloy Single Crystals"
• Managed X-ray Diffraction laboratory
• Designed, built, and implemented single crystal growing furnace for use on dissertation research
• Organized and led laboratory class sessions
• Train new graduate students on laboratory practices

Phd, Metallurgical Engineering

Bachelors Of Science, Metallurgical Engineering

High School Diploma

Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Course Graduate