Professor Kurfess is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Tech and the HUSCO/Ramirez Distinguished Chair in Fluid Power and Motion Control, with national leadership experience in advanced manufacturing. He previously served as Chief Manufacturing Officer and Founding Director of the Manufacturing Science Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (2019–2021) and as Assistant Director for Advanced Manufacturing at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, overseeing federal manufacturing R&D and policy coordination. He is President of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, a former President of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, CTO of the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences, and serves on multiple national boards and federal advisory committees. His research focuses on advanced automotive systems, high-precision manufacturing, and metrology. Earlier in his career, he held faculty leadership roles at Clemson University and Georgia Tech after beginning his academic career at Carnegie Mellon University.