Emily Coppel

Emily Coppel serves as a Contract Negotiator within the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Propulsion Directorate (FA8650), where she plays a pivotal role in securing advanced aerospace technologies critical to U.S. air and space dominance. She specializes in negotiating complex research and development contracts for next-generation propulsion systems, hypersonic flight technologies, and high-performance functional materials. Her work directly supports the agency’s mission to accelerate innovation in adaptive flight control and mission-critical engineering solutions, ensuring timely delivery of technically sophisticated capabilities through rigorous contract administration and strategic vendor engagement. Coppel maintains consistent, long-term relationships with leading aerospace and defense contractors including UES INC, General Electric Company, DCS Corporation, Spirit Aerosystems Inc, and Advanced Thermoplastic Composites LLC. These partnerships are characterized by deep technical collaboration, with vendors providing specialized expertise in propulsion system integration, composite material development, and systems engineering for extreme environments. Her negotiation approach emphasizes performance-based outcomes, technical risk mitigation, and compliance with federal acquisition regulations, fostering trust and accountability across high-stakes R&D programs. Coppel’s procurement portfolio is entirely non-set-aside, with 100% of awards issued under full and open competition. This reflects a strategic emphasis on accessing the broadest possible pool of technical capability rather than socioeconomic set-asides, prioritizing mission-critical performance over socioeconomic preferences. While small business participation is not formally incentivized in her portfolio, she ensures all contractors—regardless of size—meet stringent technical and compliance standards. Her primary focus lies within NAICS 541712, encompassing research and development in physical, engineering, and life sciences. She procures advanced materials, propulsion subsystems, computational modeling tools, and experimental test assets for hypersonics and high-temperature systems, requiring deep domain knowledge in aerospace engineering, thermodynamics, and materials science. Her expertise ensures that funded projects deliver transformative capabilities aligned with Air Force propulsion modernization priorities.