Tony J Beard

Bio

Tony Beard is a Mechanical Process Engineer within the Enrichment Science and Engineering Division, where he focuses his efforts on  execution and maturation of machine final assembly and process optimization. Additionally, he supports R&D efforts related to next-generation hardware for enrichment of radio and stable isotopes.

Tony worked as a mechanical engineer within the Extreme Environment Materials Process Group in 2023-2024, providing engineering and operations leadership on manufacturing of flight hardware. He provided project management support and executed hands-on fabrication of composite preforms for flight applications (MACH-TB, H.O.T. for Hypersonics). He defined processes, procedures and designed hardware to support manufacturing goals, and acted as lead engineer on design and demonstration of manufacturing techniques.

Tony joined ORNL in 2020 as a manufacturing process engineer, where he was responsible for TRL maturation of processes and procedures supporting enrichment hardware component fabrication; designing fixtures and tooling to support testing of production hardware, implementation of composite material testing within the manufacturing group, and the resolution of NCRs related to composite fabrication. He acted as a composite fabrication SME within the section.

Prior to coming to ORNL, Tony was a propulsion service engineer for StandardAero, and before that, a production engineer for DENSO. He also worked for the Boeing Company as both a material review board (MRB) engineer on the 787 program and a retrofit and repair engineer on the 747 program.

Tony holds a Bachelor of Science degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Tennessee. He has also completed graduate-level engineering coursework at the University of Southern California. 

When not working, Tony enjoys making music, reading and spending time with family. He has an interest in theology and ministry opportunities and has completed coursework toward a MA from Dallas Theological Seminary. 

Education

Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering - The University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Professional Affiliations

Society for the Advancement of Materials and Process Engineering (SAMPE)

American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)