Make Your Career Soar
Clayton Smith is a seasoned engineer with a diverse background in aerospace and defense. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautics & Astronautics from Purdue University, a Master of Business Administration from the University of Washington, and a Professional Certificate from MIT in Systems Engineering of Complex Systems.
Currently, Clayton is a Principal Member of the Technical Staff at Sandia National Labs, where he serves as the lead aerodynamicist for a variety of hypersonics programs. In this role, he is responsible for leading the team through major milestones and for interfacing directly with program leadership, senior scientists, and the sponsor. He has also developed and implemented computational fluid dynamics tools that produce high-quality aerodynamic predictions in a fraction of the time and cost of traditional methods.
Previously, Clayton was the Chief Engineer of Hypersonics & Small UAS at General Atomics, where he automated the aerodynamic and structural design of hypersonic vehicles and oversaw wind tunnel and flight testing. He also served as a UAS Configurations Engineer at The Boeing Company, where he developed new technologies and configurations for unmanned systems, and as a Lead Aerodynamics Engineer in Boeing Commercial Airplanes, where he designed and analyzed aircraft configurations, and led the planning and execution of wind tunnel tests.
Throughout his career, Clayton has consistently demonstrated the ability to identify and develop new technologies, manage budgets, and lead teams in the design and integration of complex systems. He is recognized as a technical resource in the field of small hypersonic vehicles, and is skilled in computational fluid dynamics, wind tunnel testing, and aircraft design.