Ben Leever

Benjamin Leever is currently the Technical Director in the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Manufacturing & Industrial Technologies Division. As Tech Director, Dr. Leever is the principal advisor on internal & external technical programs for the division, and he functions as a senior leader for the division addressing strategic planning & execution, definition of organizational & program policy, support for transition of technology, & establishment of appropriate partnerships with industrial customers. Until recently, he also served as Government Chief Technology Officer of NextFlex, a $200M public-private partnership established to create a domestic manufacturing ecosystem in flexible hybrid electronics. Earlier in his career, Dr. Leever served as the Advanced Development Leader for AFRL’s Soft Materials Branch, leading an external portfolio focused on flexible electronics and biomaterials. He has also previously led a research team focused on the development and modeling of multifunctional materials for structural power applications. Dr. Leever earned a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Cincinnati and a PhD in Materials Science & Engineering from Northwestern University.