Neal has several years of industrial experience, having worked for Sundstrand Hydro-Transmission. His research has been financed by the National Science Foundation, Sandia National Lab, Los Alamos National Lab, Air Force Research Lab, Army Medical Research and Materiel Command, Honeywell (DOE-KCP), the International Copper Association, the National Cancer Institute and the American Society for Nondestructive Testing, as well as by private businesses such as Allied-Signal, Boeing Co., Brush-Wellman and the Alcoa Foundation.