Steven Lubbe is a systems engineer and engineering leader with more than 15 years of experience across high-temperature metal systems, aerospace, additive manufacturing, inert gas/containment technologies, and advanced industrial R&D. His combined expertise in mechanical systems, high temperature engineering, inert-environment equipment, and additive manufacturing, positions him as a key technical contributor to the Sadoway metals-extraction effort.
Mr. Lubbe earned both his bachelor’s degree in Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering and his Master of Engineering (Project Management) from the University of Pretoria. His early engineering work included turbine engine maintenance and certification, fuel-system modeling, thermodynamic system development, cryogenic gas systems, and CNC/fabrication work—providing a broad foundation in mechanical, thermal, and fluid-dynamic systems.
Mr. Lubbe spent several years in the aerospace sector at Aerosud and the South African Air Force, where he contributed to Airbus A400M component qualification, automated welding development, turbine-engine test operations, and large-format metal additive manufacturing research (Project Aeroswift). He then transitioned into advanced manufacturing, becoming a subject-matter expert in metal 3D printing, inert-atmosphere control, and precision metal-handling technologies.
In the United States, Mr. Lubbe held senior engineering roles at Inert Corporation and VulcanForms, where he led engineering teams responsible for complex systems integration, high temperature enclosure design, isotope-containment systems, atmosphere-controlled equipment, and mechanical infrastructure for materials-science R&D.
He served as Director of Engineering at Pure Lithium, alongside Prof. Donald Sadoway and Dr. Paul Burke, where he managed multidisciplinary engineering programs supporting next generation electrochemical and systems. Mr. Lubbe also provides engineering support and CAGE-code contracting pathways for government-funded projects, enabling rapid deployment of specialized hardware, fabrication, and laboratory infrastructure.
