Grace Kelly-Burnsworth

Grace Kelly-Burnsworth 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 focused on 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 materials by ensuring timely, compliant, and technically robust acquisition pathways. Kelly-Burnsworth typically handles sole-source and competitive R&D procurements under FAR Part 35 and 36, often involving advanced engineering services, prototype development, and materials characterization. She maintains longstanding 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, iterative contract modifications, and performance-based acquisition strategies that align with AFRL’s rapid prototyping goals. Her negotiation approach emphasizes technical feasibility, intellectual property alignment, and risk-sharing mechanisms tailored to high-technology, low-volume R&D environments. Kelly-Burnsworth’s contracting portfolio reflects a strict focus on open competition, with 100% of her awards issued under no set-aside provisions. While small business participation is not structurally mandated in her acquisitions, she actively encourages it through mentorship programs and subcontracting opportunities within larger contracts, particularly when technical expertise aligns with small business capabilities in advanced materials and propulsion systems. Her primary procurement focus is on NAICS 541712—Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences—where she consistently acquires services in computational fluid dynamics, thermal protection systems, hypersonic vehicle integration, and advanced composite manufacturing. Her domain expertise spans propulsion system design, materials science, and flight test instrumentation, making her a key liaison between government scientists and industry innovators in the aerospace propulsion ecosystem.