Timothy Matelski

Timothy Matelski serves as Section Chief within the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Propulsion Directorate (FA8650), where he leads the acquisition strategy for advanced aerospace propulsion, hypersonics, and high-performance materials research. In this primary contracting role, he oversees the full lifecycle of R&D contracts, from requirements definition to contract award and performance monitoring, ensuring alignment with the Air Force’s mission to sustain air and space dominance through next-generation propulsion technologies. His portfolio primarily consists of fundamental and applied research contracts requiring technical rigor, rapid prototyping, and seamless integration of novel materials and flight control systems. Matelski maintains enduring partnerships with industry leaders including UES INC, General Electric Company, DCS Corporation, Spirit Aerosystems Inc, and Advanced Thermoplastic Composites LLC. These relationships are built on sustained collaboration in propulsion system development, adaptive flight control architectures, and advanced composite manufacturing. He engages contractors through competitive sealed bidding and cost-reimbursement research contracts, prioritizing technical innovation, intellectual property clarity, and performance-based outcomes over cost alone. Matelski’s contracting activity 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 expertise, particularly from large defense contractors with proven capabilities in high-risk, high-reward propulsion domains. While small business participation is not structurally mandated, he evaluates all offerors on technical merit and mission readiness, ensuring that qualified small firms compete on equal footing. His procurement focus is exclusively under NAICS 541715, encompassing physical and engineering research services critical to propulsion system advancement. He procures specialized services in computational fluid dynamics, hypersonic thermal protection systems, ceramic matrix composites, and propulsion system integration—domains requiring deep aerospace engineering expertise and facilities capable of extreme environment testing. His work directly enables the transition of laboratory innovations into operational air and space platforms.