Shannon Paradise

Shannon Paradise serves as a Contract Specialist within the Air Force Research Laboratory, supporting the procurement of advanced research and development capabilities critical to maintaining U.S. air and space dominance. In this secondary role, she facilitates the acquisition of complex technical services and engineering solutions that bridge laboratory innovation with operational deployment. Her work centers on managing solicitations and contract actions for high-priority R&D initiatives, particularly in aerospace systems, sensor technologies, and computational modeling, ensuring alignment with AFRL’s mission to deliver next-generation capabilities through timely and compliant contracting practices. While specific contractor relationships are not publicly enumerated, Paradise engages with a diverse ecosystem of defense contractors, research institutions, and technology innovators specializing in physical sciences and aerospace engineering. Her procurement activities involve collaboration with firms capable of delivering high-fidelity simulations, autonomous system integration, and hypersonics-related R&D services, often requiring specialized technical expertise and security clearances. She fosters partnerships with vendors demonstrating proven capabilities in classified and unclassified R&D environments, emphasizing performance-based outcomes and technical innovation. Paradise’s contracting portfolio reflects a strong preference for open competition, with 100% of her acquisitions classified as “No Set-Aside.” This indicates a focus on technical merit and capability over socioeconomic categorization, aligning with AFRL’s mission-critical need for rapid access to cutting-edge expertise. While small business participation is not formally prioritized in her portfolio, her actions remain compliant with all federal contracting regulations and may include small businesses when their technical capabilities are the most suitable. Her primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 541715 for physical and engineering R&D, with significant activity in 541519 for advanced computing services and 334511 for aeronautical system manufacturing. She routinely procures services related to flight dynamics modeling, radar and navigation systems, and high-performance computing infrastructure, demonstrating deep familiarity with defense science and engineering domains essential to AFRL’s strategic objectives.