Dean’s Corporate Advisory Board Member
Geoff McKnight
Vice President, Materials & Microsystems Laboratory
HRL Laboratories, an IBM Company, LLC
Geoff McKnight is the vice president of the Materials and Microsystems Laboratory at HRL Laboratories, an IBM company, LLC, in Malibu, California. In this role, he leads the MML organization to conceive, develop and deploy class defining specialty materials and miniature sensing and timing systems for a range of applications and customers spanning aerospace, automotive and national security domains.
His specific technical expertise includes dynamics of materials and structures, smart materials, composite materials and adaptive structures. He has over 20 years of experience in applying fundamentals scientific advances to challenging applied engineering problems working with engineering technology organizations. He has authored or co-authored more than 30 peer reviewed publications and has created more than 100 U.S. patents.
McKnight previously served as the director of external corporate partnerships managing the External Leverage Model portfolio and supporting developing and execution of contracted research for Fortune 500 companies. Prior to this role, he served as senior research scientist and department manager of the Adaptive Structures Department at HRL. Beyond his corporate roles, McKnight currently serves on the industrial advisory boards for mechanical engineering and materials science departments at UCLA, UC Riverside, and UC San Diego.
McKnight earned his B.S. degree in engineering science and mechanics from Pennsylvania State University and a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from UCLA.