Courtesy Photo | Dr. Joseph Estevez, head of the Advanced Materials Branch in the Chemistry Division at...... read more read more
Dr. Joseph Estevez tells new researchers the truth he needed early in his career.
“Research works 1% of the time,” Estevez said. “The other 99% of the time, you’re figuring something out.” At Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, that mindset helps scientists push through setbacks and deliver results that matter. Their ideas turn into funded projects that support weapons and electronic warfare needs for the fleet.
Naval Air Systems Command selected Estevez as the 2025 Mentor of the Year for China Lake for how he builds that path for others. The selection came during NAVAIR’s most competitive Mentor of the Year cycle to date, drawing 154 nominations from across the enterprise.
Estevez leads the Advanced Materials Branch in the Chemistry Division. He mentors about 10 people. They range from entry-level scientists to postdoctoral researchers and senior scientists.
His mentoring approach mirrors how he learned. He asks questions, listens hard and tracks down people who can close gaps.
Estevez joined NAWCWD 10 years ago as an entry-level scientist. He walked into offices with one question: What do I need to do to get where you are?
Mentors in the Chemistry Division helped him navigate technical roadblocks and career milestones. Estevez carried those lessons forward when he became a supervisor. He decided to share what he knew, not guard it. When he heard about a problem in a meeting, he looked for the person who could solve it and made the connection.
"Joey's always making connections," said Dr. Stephen Fallis, head of the Chemistry Division. "He hears about a problem and immediately knows who can solve it."
Estevez does not wait for a formal program to assign him a mentee. About half come from his branch. Others find him through word of mouth.
"People I was mentoring started talking to others who needed help," Estevez said. "The next thing you know, someone would reach out and say, 'Can I talk to you?' It just built from there."
The request usually starts with uncertainty. A researcher wants to shift fields. Someone needs a path to funding. A postdoctoral scientist needs publications to stay competitive. Estevez starts with the same basics.
He asks what they care about, where they want to go and what is missing. Then he helps them build a plan they can execute.
"It really depends on the person," Estevez said. "Sometimes it takes a little bit more time for us to sit down, break it down and say, 'Okay, let's turn this into achievable steps for you.'"
Josh Miles came to China Lake with years of experience in test and evaluation. He wanted to move into research and needed a way in. Estevez brought him onto projects part time and set expectations early.
"Research can often be unpredictable and chaotic," Estevez said. "We thrive in that."
Miles found his passion in artificial intelligence and neural networks. With Estevez's help, he wrote his first proposal, secured funding and now leads an AI project. For Estevez, that is the point of mentoring at a warfare center. The lab needs people who can spot a problem, propose a solution and carry it through.
Dr. Eleanor Castracane, a National Research Council Postdoctoral Associate, arrived at NAWCWD with a clear requirement. She needed publications to advance her career.
"I told Joey I needed publications to run my own lab someday, and he immediately helped me figure out which projects were ready to publish and what data was missing," Castracane said.
Instead of keeping her in the background, Estevez involved her in his cooperative research agreement with BNNT, a nanotechnology company. The work develops advanced materials for weapons systems, including novel composites that solve absorbance issues, metamaterials for radio frequency applications and electromagnetic warfare shielding.
Instead of presenting the data to the industry partner himself, Estevez pushed Castracane to lead. The work led to publications and an invention disclosure. She now has four papers with submission timelines mapped.
Estevez gives people room to own the work, but he stays close enough to keep them moving. He teaches them how to frame an idea, build evidence and communicate it to the people who decide what gets funded.
He also tries to scale mentorship beyond one-on-one conversations. He uses team role assessments to help members talk about strengths and work styles in plain terms. He runs idea-pitch sessions so researchers can pressure-test concepts and hear what program managers need. He opens branch meetings to anyone who wants to learn how the work connects across the command.
"Every year we pitch ideas to each other and Joey connects us with the right people," said Christopher Yelton, an electrical engineer who works in Weapons Systems Analysis. "That's how I learned to write my first proposal."
Research engineer and technology transfer specialist Sara Estevez joined NAWCWD in August 2024 and needed a fast start. She wanted to understand funding mechanisms and learn how to approach program managers with a clear ask.
"I didn't know how to cold-call a program manager or frame a proposal so it aligned with what they were looking for," Sara said. "Joey walked me through it step by step."
Within her first year, she secured funding for her research.
Estevez measures impact by outcomes, not praise. Mentoring helps the command keep technical talent, grow new leaders and move ideas into work that matters.
For those who want to mentor, he keeps the advice simple.
"You don't need to be an expert to start," Estevez said. "Maybe you've been here a year - you can still mentor someone new. Small ways can blossom into something bigger."
Estevez sees the return every day. The scientists he trains now will write proposals, lead teams and deliver the next set of capabilities.
"I'm just trying to be as helpful as possible to as many people as I possibly can," Estevez said. "But at the same time, for me, I see it as it's a two-way street. They're learning from me and I try to learn as much as I can from them."
| Date Taken: | 01.26.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 01.26.2026 11:26 |
| Story ID: | 556761 |
| Location: | CHINA LAKE, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 68 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Paying it forward: Estevez named 2025 Mentor of the Year, by Michael Smith, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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