John Christensen
Principal Investigator
Vice President, Strategic Partnerships, ASTRO America
John serves as Vice President, Strategic Partnerships for ASTRO America. In this capacity, he oversees AM Forward-related programs, working closely with each of the AM Forward founding companies. He serves as project leader for Advancing Additive Manufacturing Technologies’ National Science Foundation (NSF) Regional Innovation Engine Development Grant, and also as co-project leader on a Wichita State University-funded project focused on Additive Manufacturing Market Information that fulfills key objectives for AM Forward. John provides key support to other initiatives including ASTRO’s Guam Accelerator Project and America’s Army OTA, and also engages in partnering activities and provides proposal writing support in response to key government funding opportunity announcements.
John’s 28 years of federal government experience included six years on active duty in the Navy, both afloat and overseas, and 18 years with the Defense Logistics Agency, the last eight years as DLA’s R&D Chief. After retiring from government service, John supported the Department of Defense’s (DoD) OSD Manufacturing Technology office for 14 years and the Department of Energy’s Fuel Cell Technology Office Market Transformation program for 13 years. An especially noteworthy achievement includes leading the establishment of each of the DoD’s nine Manufacturing Innovation Institutes while working with the OSD Manufacturing Technology office. John was also recognized on two separate occasions during his tenure with the Department of Energy for his support to the National Renewable Energy lab and the DOE Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology Office, for leadership in market transformation initiatives across a broad range of applications.
John earned his BS in Environmental Engineering from the University of Florida in 1979, his MS in Systems Engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute in 1993, and an MS in National Resource Strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces in 1995.
Specific Areas of Expertise
- Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology
- Public Private Partnerships and Cooperative Agreements
- Other Transaction Agreements
- Federal R&D Budgeting
- R&D Acquisition strategies
- Manufacturing Technology
- Logistics R&D
Yongho Sohn
Materials Science and Engineering, Professor, University of Central Florida
John Schueller
Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, Professor, University of Florida
Farrukh Alvi
Professor of Mechanical Engineering, FSU-FAMU College of Engineering
Arvind Argarwal
Chairman and a Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering Florida International University
Elizabeth Heaton Posthumus
Media Contact
elizabeth@astroa.org