WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Greg Scofield entered Purdue University in 2012 as an undergrad, ready to study materials engineering and make his way to a career from a passion: figuring out how things work. Scofield’s drive and hard work have brought him, two degrees and 12 years later, to the helm of the PARI Hypersonics Lab (PHL), which he will lead as director.
Scofield is excited to bring his experience to elevating PHL’s profile and advancing its mission. “My goal is to steward the expertise and resources that PARI and Purdue bring to the table,” he said. “I want ultimately to advance our brand and influence as a premier institute of hypersonics.”
Scofield’s new role was announced Oct. 31 at a staff meeting of the Purdue Applied Research Institute (PARI), which Purdue founded in 2021 under then-President Mitch Daniels. PARI President and CEO Mark Lewis called Scofield “a true leader who combines brilliance with passion, dedication with vision.”
“Greg’s experience and dedication to hypersonics are reasons alone why he is a stellar choice for PHL director,” Lewis said. “His enthusiasm for the work, from the testing and analysis to guiding the grad students in their endeavors — that is a bonus for us. I am so happy to have Greg in this role.”
PHL is one of PARI’s four laboratories. Along with the other three — Infrastructure and Innovation, Microelectronics and Tech Acceleration and Innovation — PHL uses Purdue’s intellectual capital, facilities, methods and theories to find practical solutions to specific problems in the real world.
PHL is based in the Purdue Hypersonics and Applied Research Facility, a $41 million, 65,000-square-foot building that opened in 2023. HARF houses the HYPULSE reflected shock/expansion tunnel, the forthcoming Mach 8 quiet tunnel and the Hypersonics Advanced Manufacturing Technology Center, where researchers and industry collaborate to develop materials and manufacturing innovations.
A team of researchers is helping Scofield reach his goal. For instance, a group of researchers led by Rodney Trice, professor of materials engineering, is developing additive manufacturing processing methods to 3D-print dark ceramics — materials that can the withstand harsh conditions of hypersonic flight — into complex shapes for hypersonic components. The goal is to produce these components at scale with a state-of-the-art, large-format ceramic printer that will be used to print parts that make up the hottest sections of a hypersonic vehicle while it is in flight.
And in October, a team of graduate students successfully tested a full-scale, 3D-printed scramjet, an engine that lets aircraft travel at hypersonic speeds. The test, which took place at the Maurice J. Zucrow Laboratories, will provide insights that help increase the engine’s efficiency and reduce hypersonic manufacturing costs.
Scofield is “super pumped” about the scramjet test results, he said: “It really demonstrated the capability we have here at Purdue” — particularly the role students played in this endeavor. “The scramjet project is all students,” he said.
“We have students designing these systems. These are real-world systems operating at conditions that matter,” Scofield said. To see everyone from undergrads to graduate students lead the project, and to be part of their mentorship, is “why I took this job,” he added.
Scofield had been working as a materials engineer for Rolls-Royce in Lafayette when, in July 2022, he faced a choice: offers from both PARI and Collins Aerospace, one of the world’s largest suppliers of aerospace and defense products. “Ultimately, the chance at Purdue to work side by side with students and mentor young engineers, to be in an environment where creativity is encouraged and you can carry it out,” is what won him over, he said.
“It’s an awesome place to be,” he said. “I’ve been thrilled since I’ve gotten here.”
Scofield has always had an interest in engineering and understanding how things work, especially when it comes to defense and hypersonics.
“Being able to play an important part in advancing the security of our nation is one of the drivers for why I enjoy the field,” he said. “From a technical perspective, with materials science and aerospace, you get to see materials operating in the most extreme conditions. And aerospace science is a way to see something at the leading edge.”
ABOUT PARI
The Purdue Applied Research Institute (PARI) creates inventive solutions to global challenges with partners in government, non-governmental organizations and the private sector. Building on Purdue University’s world-class expertise, PARI bridges the gap between academia and real-world application. We channel our expertise in engineering, agriculture, science and technology into tangible solutions in national security, global development and critical infrastructural needs. https://pari.purdue.edu/
About Purdue University
Purdue University is a public research institution demonstrating excellence at scale. Ranked among top 10 public universities and with two colleges in the top four in the United States, Purdue discovers and disseminates knowledge with a quality and at a scale second to none. More than 105,000 students study at Purdue across modalities and locations, including nearly 50,000 in person on the West Lafayette campus. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition 13 years in a row. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap — including its first comprehensive urban campus in Indianapolis, the Mitch Daniels School of Business, Purdue Computes and the One Health initiative — at https://www.purdue.edu/president/strategic-initiatives.
Writer/Media contact: Evamarie Socha, ecsocha@purdue.edu
Sources: Greg Scofield, Mark Lewis