With a family history at New Mexico State University that dates back nearly a century, Scott Hutchinson, a three-time NMSU graduate and senior manager of the Electrical Sciences Group at Sandia National Laboratory, has accepted a new role to support the collaborative interests of both institutions.
Hutchinson’s family connection to NMSU began in the 1920s. His grandfather graduated in 1926 and his grandmother followed a year later.
“NMSU gave them the opportunity to learn, grow and ultimately expand their horizons in a time and in a state where such opportunities were rare,” he said. “The doors that an NMSU education opened for them has extended to me and my family as well. As a student at NMSU, the dedication of the staff and faculty helped me in countless ways, ultimately providing me the opportunity to be part of one of our nation’s premier national labs.
“Sandia is an amazing place to have a career that matters,” Hutchinson continued, “and NMSU is an amazing university that helps prepare the finest scientists and engineers that make a difference at places like Sandia. I look forward to continuing to foster those connections and that legacy.”
Hutchinson earned a bachelor’s degree in 1988, master’s degree in 1989 and doctorate in 1993 from NMSU in electrical engineering. He joined Sandia in 1993 and worked as a staff member for more than 12 years in various high-performance computing and algorithmic development projects. A member of the management team since 2005, Hutchinson was recently appointed as Sandia’s campus executive for the NMSU system. In this role, he will represent Sandia’s broad national security research interests and manage key interactions with NMSU representatives.
“We look forward to working with Dr. Hutchinson as part of the cross-disciplinary teams we have established in artificial intelligence with our College of Arts and Sciences, our College of Engineering, NMSU’s Vice President for Research office and our graduate programs,” said NMSU Chancellor Dan Arvizu. “NMSU places high strategic value on our relationship with Sandia National Labs, and we expect by placing our resources and capabilities into strategic alignment, we will realize the kinds of technical achievements that not only serve the nation’s interests but will also serve New Mexico in terms of filling an education pipeline with talented and high-performing individuals from underserved communities.”
As senior manager of the Electrical Sciences Group, Hutchinson oversees the research, development and delivery of electrical and electromagnetic systems in support of various programs at Sandia, including nuclear deterrence. He is the primary lead of the accelerated digital engineering effort as part of Sandia’s Advanced Simulation and Computing Program.
The campus executive position was created in 1997. Hutchinson replaces Jaime Moya, who retired from Sandia earlier this year.
“There are number of exciting activities already ongoing between NMSU and Sandia, which I plan to continue to support and help mature,” Hutchinson said. “I want to focus on helping bring the university students and staff together with Sandia Laboratories’ staff through increased awareness, opportunities and impact. As an example, I hope we can soon again have in-person technical seminars between the two institutions as a means of bringing about that awareness and those opportunities.”
As campus executive, Hutchinson will help train the next generation of scientists and engineers.
“Looking at the current and future challenges facing our nation, I believe we must have a creative and innovative workforce that understands and values the diverse contributions from all fields and individuals,” he said. “Our greatest breakthroughs often occur when different ideas, different disciplines and different perspectives come together to take on a challenge.”
During his time in Las Cruces, Hutchinson said the faculty at NMSU truly believed in their students’ potential and helped prepare him for the workforce.
“The confidence they inspired in us, even as they challenged us day in and day out, gave me the confidence to come to a place like Sandia and work side-by-side with some of the most brilliant people in the world,” he said.