Susan L Southers

Susan L. Southers serves as a Contracting Officer within the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Propulsion Directorate (FA8650), where she manages complex research and development acquisitions critical to advancing U.S. air and space dominance. Her portfolio centers on high-priority propulsion systems, hypersonics, and advanced materials development, ensuring timely execution of mission-critical R&D contracts under the Department of the Air Force. She oversees full lifecycle procurement activities—from solicitation and source selection to contract administration—for technical programs requiring specialized engineering expertise and rapid innovation cycles, aligning acquisitions with AFRL’s strategic goals in next-generation aerospace technologies. Southers maintains consistent working relationships with industry leaders including UES INC, General Electric Company, DCS Corporation, Spirit Aerosystems Inc., and Advanced Thermoplastic Composites LLC. These partnerships reflect a focus on high-caliber prime contractors with proven capabilities in propulsion system design, adaptive flight control, and high-performance composite materials. Her contracting approach emphasizes technical rigor, performance-based outcomes, and long-term collaboration with vendors possessing deep domain expertise in aerospace propulsion and materials science, ensuring alignment with the laboratory’s mission-critical objectives. Her procurement patterns show a 100% preference for unrestricted, non-set-aside acquisitions, indicating a strategic emphasis on technical capability over socioeconomic classifications. While small business participation is not formally prioritized in her portfolio, this reflects the highly specialized nature of the research being procured, where only a limited number of industry players possess the requisite engineering depth and facilities to meet AFRL’s demanding performance requirements. Southers exclusively procures under NAICS 541712—Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences—focusing on fundamental and applied R&D in aerospace propulsion, hypersonic vehicle systems, and advanced functional materials. Her work supports the development of next-generation jet engines, scramjet technologies, thermal protection systems, and high-temperature composites, requiring deep technical oversight and rigorous contract management to ensure scientific and operational readiness.