Mr. Adam Hicks serves as a Senior Physicist and Senior Technical Advisor for Additive Manufacturing at the Materials and Manufacturing Directorate within the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). In his role as Acting Branch Technical Advisor for the Digital Manufacturing and Supply Chain Branch (AFRL/RXMD), he leads the technical strategy for advanced manufacturing technologies, focusing on enhancing the U.S. Air Force’s capabilities in advanced manufacturing domains such as Additive Manufacturing (AM), convergent manufacturing, advanced laser manufacturing, robotics, and automation. Mr. Hicks manages research efforts and investment strategies aimed at technologies critical to defense applications. Prior to his role as BTA, Mr. Hicks held the positions of program manager and Chief Technology Advisor (CTA) at for America Makes, the National Manufacturing Innovation Institute (NNMI) focused on AM technologies.

Before joining AFRL in 2018, Mr. Hicks accumulated a decade of experience in laser manufacturing research and development across both academic and industrial settings. His work has encompassed various applications, including various metals and polymer AM technologies, laser micromachining and micro-welding, and other related manufacturing technologies.

Mr. Hicks holds a Master of Science in Physics from Miami University and a Bachelor of Science in Physics from the University of Dayton.