Dr. Richard Billo is the Founding Director of the Missouri Protoplex, the Director of the Kummer Institute Center for Advanced Manufacturing, and Distinguished Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Missouri University of Science and Technology.  

Dr Billo’s research interests are in the broad area of advanced manufacturing where he provides both research and development and technical assistance to federal agencies and manufacturing companies, including the Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Department of Labor, Department of Education, the National Science Foundation, and hundreds of OEMs and small and mid-size manufacturers.  

Dr. Billo has served as Editor in Chief for the Journal of Manufacturing Processes and the Journal of Manufacturing Systems.  In past roles, he served as Associate Vice President for Research at the University of Notre Dame.  Dr Billo has also served in roles as Associate Dean of Research for the University of Texas at Arlington, and Department Chair of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering at Oregon State University. He has patented and licensed to industry four technologies resulting from his research and has served as President of two engineering firms. Dr. Billo has been recognized with such honors as the Outstanding Faculty Award, the Intel Faculty Fellowship, the Whiteford Faculty Fellowship, the 1st Choice Bank Commercialization Award, the Industry Collaboration award, and the Texas STARS award.