A North Idaho researcher and entrepreneur is contributing to the national conversation on energy security, manufacturing resilience, and industrial policy through a growing body of research focused on the structural challenges facing the United States economy.
Patrick J. Wolf, PhD, based in Post Falls, Idaho, is the Executive Director of the Institute for American Manufacturing & Technology, a policy and research organization focused on rebuilding America’s industrial, energy, and technological capacity. The organization operates through three research divisions dedicated to artificial intelligence and strategic technology, energy systems and infrastructure, and manufacturing and supply chain policy.
Dr. Wolf’s recent research, published through the Institute for American Manufacturing & Technology’s Atlas Institute, examines how vulnerabilities in global energy markets continue to affect American economic stability, industrial output, and long-term competitiveness.
One of the organization’s recent publications, Oil: The Price of Disruption, analyzes the cascading effects that energy supply disruptions can have across transportation, agriculture, manufacturing, logistics, and defense readiness. The paper argues that despite increased domestic production in recent years, the United States remains exposed to global energy volatility due to structural dependencies within modern supply chains and industrial systems.
A companion publication, Powering the Buildout, focuses on the projected energy demands associated with expanding artificial intelligence infrastructure, reshoring manufacturing capacity, and increasing domestic defense production. The analysis examines whether current grid infrastructure and generation capacity are sufficient to support the scale of industrial expansion now being discussed at both the federal and state levels.
“You cannot reshore manufacturing, build out AI compute infrastructure, and expand defense production simultaneously without a serious plan for where the energy comes from,” Patrick J. Wolf, PhD writes. “The math does not work with current grid capacity.”
In addition to his policy research, Dr. Wolf has become increasingly active in Idaho civic and community leadership circles, particularly around economic development, industrial strategy, technology policy, and the future of American manufacturing. Supporters describe his work as part of a broader effort to reconnect national policy discussions with the realities facing regional economies and industrial communities.
Patrick J. Wolf holds a PhD in Strategic Media and Communications, an MBA, and a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering. He is also a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and has worked across strategy, analytics, technology, and operational modernization initiatives.
The Institute for American Manufacturing & Technology publishes research and policy analysis focused on manufacturing competitiveness, energy infrastructure, supply chains, artificial intelligence governance, and national industrial capacity.
Additional research and publications are available through the Institute for American Manufacturing & Technology at iamtpolicy.org and through Dr. Wolf’s professional website at patrickjwolf.com.