Richard Baumer

Richard Baumer is a PhD Engineer and expert in advanced materials and manufacturing processes, currently serving as a Senior Engineer at MP Materials since 2025. They have demonstrated leadership and organizational improvement throughout their career, notably as the Department Chair of Welding/Materials Joining Engineering at LeTourneau University from 2017 to 2022. Richard worked at Dow Automotive from 2014 to 2017, where they developed novel materials for automotive lightweighting. They obtained a PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2013, where their research focused on property degradation in irradiated metallic glasses. Richard's current academic role includes serving as an Associate Professor and Department Chair at California Baptist University.