Dr. Jeffrey Abell is the Director and Chief Scientist for Global Materials and Manufacturing Systems Research at General Motors. He is responsible for GM’s global manufacturing research strategies and activities including vehicle electrification, lightweight materials processing, automation, SMART Manufacturing, and systems and controls. Dr. Abell previously participated on a team that received $105M DOE grant for battery pack manufacturing and continuous improvement. He has developed several first-in-industry battery manufacturing technologies, including ultrasonic weld process monitoring and reconfigurable battery assembly systems resulting in significant cost savings. Dr. Abell’s current research efforts include advanced propulsion, lightweight systems manufacturing, scalable and low-volume reconfigurable systems, and machine learning. Dr. Abell’s global experience includes work assignments in Portugal and Germany as well as leading global teams. Dr. Abell is a three-time recipient of General Motors "Boss" Kettering Award, the highest technical honor given to General Motors employees. Dr. Abell’s professional activities include: SME Board of Directors; chair of the Education and Accreditation Committee for SME; chair of the ABET Industrial Advisory Council; Dean's Advisory Council, Kettering University; and Advisory Board for Mechanical Engineering, Lawrence Technological University. He is a licensed professional engineer and has been elected Fellow of both ASME and SME.