Alexander Wilson-Heid

R&D S&E, Materials Science

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R&D S&E, Materials Science

aewils@sandia.gov

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Biography

Alex is a Senior Member of the Technical Staff in materials science in the Hydrogen and Materials Science department at Sandia National Laboratories in Livermore, CA. With over 10 years of experience in metal additive manufacturing (AM) and metallurgy research, he specializes in mechanical property testing and modeling, non-destructive evaluation, and parameter development across a diverse range of alloys. Alex is dedicated to advancing Sandia’s mission by maturing AM technologies for product realization and enhancing the fundamental scientific understanding of how AM processes affect part performance, reproducibility, and qualification.

Education

  • Ph.D., Materials Science and Engineering, Penn State University, “Additively Manufactured Metals: Effect of Microstructure and Defects on Multiaxial Plasticity and Fracture Behavior” under Allison Beese
  • B.S., Materials Science and Engineering, University of Florida under Michele Manuel

Awards and Honors

  • PSU MatSE Coppola Graduate Student Excellence Fund Scholarship
  • PSU MatSE George W. Brindley and Jyung-Oock Choe Graduate Fellowship
  • PSU MatSE Robert E. Newnham Award for Research Excellence Scholarship
  • NASA Pennsylvania Space Grant Consortium (PSGC) Graduate Fellowship
  • PSU MatSE Leichliter Career in Metallurgy Scholarship

Selected Publications

  1. Wilson-Heid, A.E., White, B.C., Sims, H, et al. (2025). “Understanding Geometry and Microstructure Interactions in LPBF By Linking Lab Scale Studies to Real Part Case Examples,” https://doi.org/10.2172/2997328
  2. Kustas, A. B.  Barrick, E., Pegues J., Sims, H., Gucik, M.L., Melia, M., Wilson-Heid, A.E., et al. (2025). “On the mechanical isotropy and corrosion behavior of tantalum produced via laser beam powder bed fusion.” Additive Manufacturing Letters, vol. 14, p. 100317. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addlet.2025.100317
  3. Sims, H., Wilson-Heid, A.E., Langdon, B.F., et al. (2025). “Supply Chain Improvement and Process Modification Printing in Tantalum,” https://doi.org/10.2172/2589607
  4. Wilbig, J., Wilson-Heid, A. E., Bernard, L., Baptista, J., and Obaton, A.-F. (2025). “Comparison of Porosity Analysis Based on X-Ray Computed Tomography on Metal Parts Produced by Additive Manufacturing.” Applied Sciences, vol. 15, no. 18, p. 9876, https://doi.org/10.3390/app15189876
  5. Greenough, M.M., Wilson-Heid, A.E., et al. (2025). “Compatibility of molten plutonium with wrought and additively manufactured metal crucibles.” JVSTA vol. 43. https://doi.org/10.1116/6.0004524
  6. Amon, A., Kim, E., Wilson-Heid, A. E., et al. (2026). “Texture development in magnetostrictive Fe-Ga alloys processed by laser powder bed fusion.” Materials & Design, vol. 264, p. 115771. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matdes.2026.115771
  7. Evans, P. W. F., Bustillos, C. G., Charalambous, H., Wilson-Heid, A. E., et al. (2025). “Pressureless sintering of lithium hydride.” Journal of the European Ceramic Society. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeurceramsoc.2024.117152
  8. Kirchebner, B., Traxel, K. D., Wilson-Heid, A. E., Elton, E. S., Pascall, A. J., and Jeffries, J. R. (2024). “Molten metal jetting for repairing aluminum components.” Additive Manufacturing Letters. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addlet.2024.100259
  9. Griffiths, R. J., Wilson-Heid, A. E., Linne, M. A., Garza, E. V., Wright, A., and Martin, A. A. (2024). “Additive Friction Stir Deposition of a Tantalum–Tungsten Refractory Alloy.” Journal of Manufacturing and Materials Processing. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmmp8040177
  10. Wilson-Heid, A. E., Griffiths, R. J., Martin, A. A., Holliday, K. S., and Jeffries, J. R. (2024). “Exploring laser-material interactions of zirconium carbide under additive manufacturing conditions.” Ceramics International. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ceramint.2024.04.051
  11. Wu, Z., Wilson-Heid, A. E., Griffiths, R. J., and Elton, E. S. (2023). “A review on experimentally observed mechanical and microstructural characteristics of interfaces in multi-material laser powder bed fusion.” Frontiers in Mechanical Engineering, vol. 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmech.2023.1087021
  12. Watkins, N. N., Traxel, K. D., Wilson-Heid, A. E., et al. (2023). “Process-structure-property relationships for droplet-on-demand liquid-metal-jetted parts.” Additive Manufacturing, vol. 73. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addma.2023.103709