Jeff Lince, Ph.D., has over 35 years experience supporting customers in the area of tribology and lubrication of spacecraft mechanisms, and chemistry of surfaces, interfaces, and coatings. He worked for The Aerospace Corporation for much of his career, founding Space Tribology Consulting, Inc. in 2019, operating out of Culver City, California.
Dr. Lince was interviewed along with other experts in Tribology for the following issues of Tribology and Lubrication Technology. Click on the thumbnails learn more about solid lubrication applications for both terrestrial and aerospace applications.
Professional Experience
Senior Technical Advisor
July 2024 to Present
Kent, Washington (Remote contract employee)
- Providing expertise and project guidance in the area of dry film lubrication for space hardware, including engines and lunar mechanism applications.
Senior Scientist, The Aerospace Corporation
July 1985 – July 2019
El Segundo, California
- Acted as primary SME in the areas of solid lubrication and sliding electrical contacts (slip rings).
- Supported most National Security space programs, and many NASA and commercial space programs in meeting technical, cost, and schedule requirements
- Recommended materials that ensured success
- Technical leadership contributed to resolution in many root cause analyses
- Contributed to numerous successful SBIR/STTR efforts as a partner or subcontractor
- Conducted research on solid lubrication and tribological coatings, as well as the chemistry and physics of surfaces and thin films
- PI for Tribology Section’s applied research for over 20 years
- Provided leadership in development of Surface Science laboratory facilities 47 peer-reviewed publications; over 35 conference presentations; over 50 internal reports
- Many letters of appreciation from customers
Lecturer, Mount St. Mary’s College
Sept 1986 – May 1989
Los Angeles, California
- Upper Division Physical Chemistry (Thermodynamics and Dynamics)
Education
Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry, University of California, Los Angeles
Oct 1980 – June 1985
- Thesis: Reactivity, Epitaxy and Superconductivity at the Metal/Semiconductor Interface
- Advisor: Professor R. Stanley Williams
- 8 peer-reviewed publications
- Patent: U.S. Patent No. 5,045,408 issued Sept. 3, 1991 “Thermodynamically Stabilized Conductor/Compound Semiconductor Interfaces”
B.S. in Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley
Oct 1975 – March 1980
- Undergraduate research in Surface Chemistry
- Advisor: Professor Gabor A. Somorjai
Leadership
Treasurer, Southern California Chapter of the AVS
2012 – Present
Executive Committee Member, Advanced Surface Engineering Division of the AVS
2012 – 2013
Chair, Southern California Chapter of the AVS
2007-2008, 2011
Professional Society Membership
Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers
American Chemical Society
American Vacuum Society
Selected Publications
J.R. Lince, P. Woods, E. Woods, W.H. Mak, S.D. Sitzman, and A.J. Clough. “Cold Spray Deposition of MoS2– and WS2-Based Solid Lubricant Coatings,” Lubricants 2024, 12, 237. https://doi.org/10.3390/lubricants12070237.
D.A. Johnson, M. Gori, A. Vellore, A.J. Clough, S.D. Sitzman, J.R. Lince,; A. Martini, “Evaluation of a Commercial MoS2 Dry Film Lubricant for Space Applications.” Lubricants 2024, 12, 307. https://doi.org/10.3390/lubricants12090307.
J. R. Lince, “Effective Application of Solid Lubricants in Spacecraft Mechanisms. Lubricants, 8 (2020) 74. https://doi.org/10.3390/lubricants8070074.
J. R. Lince, S.H. Loewenthal, and C. S. Clark, “Tribological and Chemical Effects of Long Term Humid Air Exposure on Sputter-Deposited Nanocomposite MoS2 Coatings,” Wear, 432–433 (2019) 202935; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wear.2019.202935.
J. R. Lince, “Doped MoS2 Coatings and Their Tribology,” in Encyclopedia of Tribology, J. Q. Wang and Y.-W. Chung, eds., Springer, New York, 2013.
J. R. Lince, H. I. Kim, P. M. Adams, D. J. Dickrell, and M. T. Dugger, “Nanostructural, electrical, and tribological properties of composite Au–MoS2 coatings,” Thin Solid Films 517 (2009) 5516–5522; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsf.2009.03.210.
J. R. Lince, “Tribology of Co-Sputtered Nanocomposite Au/MoS2 Solid Lubricant Films over a Wide Contact Stress Range” Tribol. Lett., 17(3) (2004) 419-428; https://doi.org/10.1023/B:TRIL.0000044490.03462.6e.
J. R. Lince, “Electrical Contact Ring Assemblies” Chap. 16 in NASA Space Mechanisms Handbook, R. L. Fusaro, ed., (Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, OH, 1999); NASA/TP-1999-206988.
J. R. Lince and P. D. Fleischauer, “Solid Lubricants” Chap. 7: in Space Vehicle Mechanisms: Elements of Successful Design, P. Conley, ed. , Wiley-Interscience, 1998.
Recent Invited Presentations
J. R. Lince, “Low Friction Coatings and Materials Tribology for Spacecraft Applications,” Invited talk for SpaceX (26 March 2024).
J. R. Lince, “Lubrication in a vacuum: from deposition chambers to space,” Invited talk for Anton Paar webinar series (15 October 2020).
J. R. Lince, “Coatings in Aerospace,” Invited presentation at the 44th International Conference on Metallurgical Coatings and Thin Films (ICMCTF), San Diego, CA, (26 April 2017).
J. R. Lince, “Surface Chemical and Tribological Studies of Low-Friction Coatings for Space,” Invited presentation at the 63rd AVS International Symposium, Nashville, TN (9 November 2016).
J. R. Lince, “Tribology in the Space Environment,” Invited presentation at the 42nd International Conference on Metallurgical Coatings and Thin Films (ICMCTF), San Diego, CA, (23 April 2015).
J. R. Lince, “Lubrication in Vacuum,” Invited presentation to the So. Calif. Chapter of the AVS Science and Technology Society, Torrance, CA (20 May 2015)
J. R. Lince, “Tribology in the Space Environment,” Invited presentation at 248th American Chemical Society National Meeting, San Francisco, CA, (14 August 2014).
J. R. Lince, H. I. Kim, D. J. Carré, P. A. Bertrand, S. V. Didziulis, P. D. Fleischauer, O. L. Eryilmaz, and A. Erdemir, “Tribomaterials for Spacecraft: Testing & Surface Chemistry,” Invited talk at the AVS 55th International Symposium, Boston, MA (23 October 2008).
