DR. JESSE K. MEE

Dr. Jesse Mee is a member of the scientific and technical cadre of senior executives, and the Senior Scientist for Radiation Hardening Technologies, Air Force Research Laboratory, Air Force Materiel Command, Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. He serves as the principal scientific authority and independent researcher in the field of radiation effects and mitigation technologies. Dr. Mee initiates, plans, coordinates, and evaluates research and development efforts across the AFRL enterprise to deliver high-assurance, strategic rad-hard, rad-hard, and rad-tolerant electronics that must operate in natural space and high-altitude nuclear detonation environments.

Dr. Mee has been leading foundational research, advanced technology development and radiation-effects studies in commercial and rad-hard electronic technologies for over 15 years. He is known for his leadership of the AFRL Space Electronics Program, where he planned and directed over $540 million in RH electronics investments between 2016 and 2023. In this capacity, Dr. Mee worked closely with partner DoD, civil space and industry organizations to secure funding for these efforts, and facilitating transition of critical RH technology into defense, intelligence and civil space systems.

Dr. Mee’s government career began in 2008 at AFRL were he designed and executed radiation tests for advanced RH electronics. Afterward, he shifted his attention to reliability issues—specifically the study of negative bias temperature instability and hot-carrier injection failure mechanisms in Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistors. His primary contribution was in the development of a novel experimental methodology that led to an increased understanding of the physical mechanisms underlying the NBTI phenomenon. Dr. Mee then embarked on a multi-year detailed investigation of quantum dot mode locked lasers for high-speed intra-satellite data transmission. He authored several foundational publications including the first to demonstrate greater than 100-degree Celsius operation of a QD MLL, the first to explain puzzling output behavior in a QD MLL at elevated temperature and a theoretical QD MLL design to produce a narrower pulse shape and increase the potential data rate for communication applications. Dr. Mee later founded the Spacecraft Processing Architectures and Computing Environment Research lab to study optimized pairing of mission application codes with various space computing hardware architectures. The lab has since grown to over 15 scientists and engineers who have collectively produced 27 publications since 2014. He is author and co-author of more than 40 journal and conference articles, and has served on multiple external advisory boards, independent product teams and RH conference planning and steering committees.

EDUCATION
2009 Bachelor of Electrical Engineering, Microelectronics, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque
2010 Master of Electrical Engineering, Microelectronics, Awarded with Honor of distinction, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque
2013 Doctor of Engineering, Optoelectronics, with distinction, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque
2015 New Mexico Leadership Development Program, US Office of Personnel Management, Albuquerque, N.M.

CAREER CHRONOLOGY
1. May 2008–November 2010, Engineering Science and Technology Entry Program, Space Vehicles Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M.
2. November 2010–December 2013, Associate Electronics Engineer, AFRL/RV, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
3. January 2013–December 2018, Research Electronics Engineer, AFRL/RV, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
4. November 2016–March 2021, Deputy Project Manager Space Electronic Technologies, AFRL/RV, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
5. January 2019–October 2023, Senior Research Electronics Engineer, AFRL/RV, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
6. October 2020–October 2023, Deputy Mission Lead (Acting Mission Lead October 2021–July 2022), AFRL/RV, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
7. March 2021–October 2023, PM Space Electronic Technologies, AFRL/RV, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
8. October 2023–present, Senior Scientist for Radiation Hardening Technologies, AFRL, Kirtland AFB, N.M.

AWARDS AND HONORS
2009 Space Vehicles Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory International Team Award
2010 Master of Science awarded with distinction
2011 AFRL Civilian of the Quarter Award
2013 AFRL nomination for Presidential Early Career Award for S&Es
2013 Ph.D. awarded with distinction
2016 AFRL/RV Innovation Award
2017 AFRL/RV Commanders Cup Junior Individual
2020 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Senior Member
2021 AFRL/RV Science, Engineering and Technical Management Mid-Career Civilian Engineer
2023 AFRL/RV Senior Leadership Award

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS AND ASSOCIATIONS
Senior Member, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Member, IEEE Nuclear and Plasma Sciences Society
Member, Materials Research Society

(Current as of November 2023)