Clayton Hickey is a mechanical engineer and technical professional with the Electric Drives Research Group at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). His expertise is in mechanical design, analysis, and hardware development for electric-drive and wireless-power research. He uses CAD modeling and finite element analysis (FEA) to develop practical, reliable solutions while accounting for structural, thermal, manufacturing, and assembly requirements.
At ORNL, Clayton supports a broad range of projects involving high-power wireless charging systems, electric-drive technologies, and related hardware development. His work includes mechanical system design, fabrication and assembly, electronics integration, thermal and structural analysis, and the creation of technical renderings for publications and presentations. He has also contributed to research efforts and co-authored papers presented at conferences such as the IEEE Transportation Electrification Conference and Expo (ITEC).
Before joining ORNL, Clayton served as Suspension Team Lead and later as an Alumni Mentor for Pellissippi State Motorsports’ Formula SAE team. There, he developed hands-on experience in manufacturing, simulation, and custom programming for vehicle-performance data analysis.
Clayton is committed to mentoring and collaboration. He has helped train interns and new hires on technical tasks and safety practices, mentored Formula SAE students, and supported proposal development and early concept work for future DOE projects. His contributions have earned him nominations for ORNL Core Value Awards.
He holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and an Associate of Applied Science in Automated Industrial Systems from Pellissippi State Community College. An active member of SAE International, Clayton continues to apply his mechanical engineering background to advance efficient electric-drive and wireless-power technologies at ORNL.
