Hunter Watts is a Research Engineer at the Advanced Composites Institute (ACI) and a graduate of Mississippi State University (MSU) in Aerospace Engineering with a concentration in Astronautics. Hunter joined ACI in June of 2021 and leads ACI’s additive manufacturing research and provides mathematical models, simulations, and custom software to support ACI’s projects. Hunter works closely with industry partners and academic institutions in his lead role to collaborate and ensure that MSU and ACI stay on the cutting edge of additive manufacturing technology and research. Prior to graduation, Hunter worked as an Undergraduate Student Researcher at ACI, where he created a fiber angle sensitivity analysis to aid in assessing defects of carbon fiber laminates. During his senior year at MSU, Hunter provided valuable research modeling orbital maneuvers for satellites to approach space debris for deorbit procedures. Hunter has received certifications and formal training in MATLAB and STK and is a former recipient of the Mississippi Engineering Society’s Professional Engineer Scholarship Award.