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Steven Gattman
"My Purdue Engineering education taught me how to break down broad and complex problems into actionable steps, allowing for a better overall understanding of what is required to solve the issue at hand. Throughout my time at Purdue, the professors always stressed that they weren't teaching us everything we needed to know to be successful - they were teaching us how to solve problems. This has been especially important as I've taken on multidisciplinary leadership positions in charge of technical decision-making for products made up of various opto-mechanical and electro-mechanical systems working together."
Steven Gattman | Mechanical Engineering
Mechanical Engineer III, Northrop Grumman
Steven Gattman joined Northrop Grumman (NG) in 2019, and in the last three years alone, he has been promoted twice,
reaching the rank of mechanical engineer III more than a year earlier than the normally required five+ years of
experience. For two years, he was the lead mechanical engineer and integrated product team lead for LITENING Large
Aperture, a groundbreaking opto-mechanical system that significantly increases combat identification ranges for fighter
pilots in the U.S. Air Force. Currently, he is the lead mechanical engineer of two other Targeting R&D programs, both of
which are developing new technologies to bolster the U.S. military's future air superiority.
All told, he has reviewed hundreds of drawings and mentored more than 15 early-career engineers. His three programs are
expected to generate in excess of $2B in sales for the company in the next 10 years. For his work, Gattman received NG's
two highest awards — the President's Award for Excellence and the Northrop Grumman Award for Excellence, for which he
was recognized in Washington, D.C., by the CEO and executive leadership team. He is the youngest engineer in the
company's history to obtain both honors.
He remains an active Purdue alumnus and industry partner. He mentors students, recruits talent at the Industrial
Roundtable, speaks to classes about careers, serves as a judge for final projects in the ME 263 sophomore design course,
and offers his experience to the Purdue Orbital Club as a technical industry mentor.