Christopher Billings, PhD
As Senior Research and Project Engineer for advanced manufacturing (AM), Billings brings extensive experience in additive manufacturing technologies and is helping define the AM capabilities best suited for InSPIRE’s industry, academic, military, and entrepreneurial partners. He is also overseeing the planning, design, and calibration work already underway for InSPIRE’s primary manufacturing facilities expected to break ground in 2026.
Chris previously worked at the University of Oklahoma, where he built and oversaw an AM laboratory specializing in metal additive manufacturing, CNC machining, materials testing, digital twins, and DoD-aligned quality workflows. He’s led major efforts funded through the Air Force Research Lab, Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) partnerships. During his tenure, he was a lead researcher for over $10M in projects, led or co led over $15M in successful proposals, and led a student research group of over 15 students.
Chris retains deep research experience from his years at the University of Oklahoma, where he honed his ability to design training programs and lead equipment testing, analysis, validation, and process optimization procedures for metal additive systems. His current research centers on establishing a comprehensive cradle-to-grave qualification framework for AM, combining process characterization, in-situ monitoring, and post-process evaluation to connect processing conditions directly to measurable quality outcomes.
Chris enjoys bridging machine-level data with predictive quality models and managing large, technical projects. He has experience in working with a range of stakeholders, including those in industry, academia, and government agencies. Having mentored and served on graduate panels for both Masters and Ph.D. students he has learned how to best foster positive learning environments that lead to student growth. Chris is passionate about mentoring students and contributing to a strong talent pipeline in Northwest Florida.
He holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Oklahoma with a focus on additive manufacturing. He has co-authored 19 peer reviewed articles/papers and has received several awards and honors for his work, including the GCOE Dissertation Excellence Award.