.png)
Christopher Saldaña
Deputy Assistant Secretary
U.S. Department of Energy Office of Critical Minerals, Materials, and Manufacturing
.png)
Christopher Saldaña is the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Office of Critical Minerals, Materials, and Manufacturing in the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation (CMEI). In this role, he leads CMEI’s critical minerals programs, advancing innovation and commercialization across critical minerals supply chains, from extraction and processing to manufactured products.
Prior to January 2026, Saldaña served as Director of the Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office, where he oversaw strategy, management, and execution to advance innovative materials and manufacturing technologies for the energy industrial base. Saldaña also serves as the co-chair of the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Critical Minerals Subcommittee which drives interagency coordination in multiple areas relevant to critical minerals and materials supply chains.
Saldaña has extensive experience in research and development and commercialization across academic, industry and government laboratories. Saldaña joined DOE from Georgia Tech's George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, where he served as the Ring Family Professor of Mechanical Engineering. Previously he has held affiliations or positions with M4 Sciences Corporation, Pennsylvania State University, U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, the Indian Institute of Science, Technische Universität Dortmund, Autodesk, and Sandia National Laboratories.
Saldaña has been recognized with several major awards for his commercialization and innovation contributions, including an NSF CAREER award, the Golden Helix Innovation Award, the Robert J. Hocken SME Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer award and an R&D100 Technology Award. He holds 3 U.S. patents and has authored approximately 200 refereed technical publications in the area of advanced materials and manufacturing technologies. Saldaña received his bachelor of science degree from Virginia Tech and his master’s degree in science and doctorate from Purdue University.