Sam Miller

Sam Miller, Ph.D., is a materials scientist at Exponent specializing in failure analysis, materials characterization, and structure-process-property relationships across glass, ceramics, and inorganic building material systems. He combines rigorous analytical training with seven years of hands-on industry experience in glass manufacturing, process troubleshooting, and recycling technology development, serving clients across industrial manufacturing, building and consumer products, and sustainability technology sectors.

Sam has supported failure analysis, manufacturing process investigations, and materials consulting engagements involving flat glass, glass fiber composites, ceramics, electronic materials, insulation, roofing, and other building and construction materials. He applies a broad characterization toolkit — including chemical composition analysis, optical and electron microscopy, thermal analysis, and mechanical testing — to investigate failures involving surface flaws, residual stress, thermal and environmental degradation, raw material variability, and manufacturing process defects.

What distinguishes Dr. Miller's approach to materials consulting is his direct experience with industrial-scale manufacturing. Prior to joining Exponent, he spent seven years at Owens Corning, a leading building products manufacturer, where he developed and qualified glass formulations, diagnosed manufacturing process upsets, audited raw material suppliers for variability and contamination, and scaled new processes from benchtop to plant. This firsthand familiarity with raw material variability, process deviations, and scale-dependent behavior allows him to connect material failure mechanisms to the manufacturing and handling conditions in which they originate.

Sam also brings experience in sustainability and recycling technology, having led the technical development and commercial scale-up of recycling processes for building materials including asphalt roofing materials, composite wind blades, glass fiber insulation, and glass-based commercial building product components. This work spans technology scouting and partner evaluation, proof-of-concept and pilot process development, technoeconomic feasibility assessment, and material qualification — including recycled content integration, byproduct stream characterization, and waste diversion. This background supports consulting engagements involving recycled material performance claims, recycling process evaluation, and circular economy feasibility in the building products and construction industries.

Dr. Miller earned his Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from Northwestern University, where his research combined first-principles calculations and machine learning with experimental synthesis and characterization to develop predictive models for thermoelectric materials discovery. He holds a B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from Alfred University and has presented at conferences and contributed to industry trade groups addressing building material sustainability standards.