Research Team
Faculty
Diana A. Lados
Milton Prince Higgins II Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering; Founder and Director,
iMdc
+1-508-831-6168; lados@wpi.edu
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B.S./M.S., Polytechnic University of Bucharest, 1997
M.S., Southern Illinois University, 1999
Ph.D., Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 2004
Dr. Diana Lados is the Milton Prince Higgins II Distinguished Professor at WPI, and the Founder and Director of the Integrative Materials Design Center (iMdc), an industry-government-university consortium established at WPI in 2007, dedicated to advancing the frontiers of sustainable materials-process-component design and manufacturing for high-performance and reliability.
Dr. Lados is credited with significant research contributions in the areas of materials design, characterization, evaluation, optimization and computational modeling for fatigue, fatigue crack growth, and high-temperature performance, as well as for her original and integrated work in materials processing and advanced manufacturing, including additive manufacturing, cold spray processing, friction stir welding, and metal matrix nano-composites.
Professor Lados is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including Alpha Sigma Mu Fellow-Class of 2018, ASM Fellow-Class of 2017, 2014 Brimacombe Medal from TMS, 2014 Ralph R. Teetor Educational Award from SAE, 2013 Inaugural Constance Tipper Silver Medal from the World Academy of Structural Integrity, 2012 ASM Silver Medal, a "Woman to Watch" in New England for innovation and leadership, an NSF-CAREER Award, and was chosen in 2010 by the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) to participate in the prestigious Frontiers of Engineering symposia for both exceptional research and innovative education.
Professor Lados has more than 85 publications, 280 technical presentations and invited lectures, and several book and patent contributions. She is a member of several professional societies (including ASM, TMS, Alpha Sigma Mu, Sigma Xi), organized symposia at international conferences, and chaired several committees (including Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A Board of Review, Material Advantage Committee, WPI Chapter of Sigma Xi, Central Massachusetts Chapter of ASM). Dr. Lados serves on the ASM Board of Trustees, is the ASM's Awards Policy Committee Chair, and the President of Alpha Sigma Mu.
Professor Lados is a firm believer and a devoted advocate of the new design philosophy based on material-process-component integration. She is consistently promoting this design paradigm through her research and disseminating it through publications, presentations, panel discussions, and lectures at national and international conferences, workshops, professional group meetings, internal corporate meetings. Her integrative design research has built connectivity within the field of Materials Science and interdisciplinary bridges between Materials Science and Mechanical Engineering. Industrial corporations such as General Motors, Mercury Marine, Alcoa, Alcan, NASA, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Pratt and Whitney, Hamilton Sundstrand, Air Force, PANalytical, FTA/Laboratory Testing, INC well as ASTM standards such as E647 use the knowledge and the techniques developed by Professor Lados for advanced materials/process design and sustainable manufacturing.
Anthony Spangenberger, III
Assistant Research Professor of Mechanical Engineering; Associate Director, iMdc
+1-774-242-7847;
aspangenberger@wpi.edu
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B.S., Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 2012
Ph.D., Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 2017 (iMdc)
Dr. Spangenberger received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering in 2012 from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and Ph.D in Materials Science and Engineering in 2017 as part of the iMdc team. His doctoral thesis was sponsored by a 5-year NSF-CAREER Award, and focused on investigation of fundamental microstructural mechanisms of fatigue crack growth in cast Al alloys, computational modeling of fatigue crack growth at the microstructural scale, and development of design tools to promote engineering for fatigue crack growth resistance. His doctoral work was recognized with the Graduate Research and Achievement Day Best Ph.D. Thesis Award (WPI GRAD Day 2013) and Sigma Xi Outstanding Ph.D. Thesis Award (2017).
Dr. Spangenberger's research interests include investigation of mechanisms of fatigue crack growth in light structural metals, novel manufacturing and mechanical testing methods, solid mechanics modeling, development of scale-bridging techniques for integrative computational modeling of damage phenomena, and integration of fundamental research with industrial design practices.
Awards
GRAD13 Research Achievement Day, Poster Competition Engineering Session (Ph.D.), 1st Prize
2017 Sigma Xi Outstanding Ph.D. Thesis Award
John M. Sullivan, Jr.
Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Associate Department Head
+1-508-831-5199; sullivan@wpi.edu
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Professional Website
B.S. Zoology, University of Massachusetts, 1973
B.S. Mec.E., University of Massachusetts, 1977
M.S. Mec.E., University of Massachusetts, 1978
D.E. Thayer School of Engineering, Dartmouth College, 1986
Professor Sullivan's areas of research include:
1. Development of user interactive grid generation and deployment systems
2. Development of graphics tools and strategies to facilitate nonlinear data interpretation in the biomedical engineering field
3. Numerical solutions of partial differential equations in engineering science
4. Development of 3D tools for registration and segmentation of medical image data
Cosme Furlong
Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering; Center for Holographic
Studies and Laser micro-mechaTronics - CHSLT
+1-508-831-5126; cfurlong@wpi.edu
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Professional
Website
B.Eng., University of the Americas, Puebla, Mexico, 1989
M.S., Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 1992
Ph.D., Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 1999
Professor Furlong's areas of research include:
1. Hybrid, computational and experimental, solution methodologies
2. Optical nondestructive testing and applications
3. Coherent and incoherent optical metrology
4. MEMS/MOEMS and fiber-optic sensors and actuators
Affiliations and involvement:
1. Lecturer, Harvard Medical School, Boston
2. Research Affiliate, Mass Eye & Ear Infirmary, Boston
3. Associate Editor, Experimental Techniques
4. National and International Symposia Organizer/Co-organizer: SEM, SPIE, OSA
Germano S. Iannacchione
Professor of Physics and Department Head
+1-508-831-5420;
gsiannac@wpi.edu@wpi.edu
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Personal
Website
B.S., University of Akron, 1987
M.S., University of Akron, 1990
Ph.D., Kent State University, 1993
Professor Iannacchione's areas of research include:
1. Experimental study of order-disorder phenomena in soft-condensed matter systems
2. Novel phase transitions and critical phenomena
3. Thermo-physical properties of liquid crystals, polymers, proteins, biomaterials, metals, and complex composites
4. Development of new experimental techniques for calorimetery, transport, light-scattering, and optical microscopy
Affiliations and involvement:
1. Director, Nuclear Science and Engineering Program at WPI
2. Director, Masters of Science in Physics for Educators Program at WPI
Nikhil Karanjgaokar
Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineer
+1-508-831-6757;
nkaranjgaokar@wpi.edu
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B.Tech., National Institute of Technology Calicut, India 2006
M.S., Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, 2007
Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2013
Professor Karanjgaokar's areas of research include:
1. Experimental mechanics at micro/nano-scale
2. Temperature and rate dependent mechanics of nanostructured materials and interfaces
3. Dynamic response of materials
4. Mechanics and damage of heterogeneous materials
Affiliations and involvement:
1. Secretary, MEMS and Nanotechnology Technical Division at SEM
2. National and International Symposia Organizer/Co-organizer: SEM
Christopher J. Larsen
Professor of Mathematical Sciences
+1-508-831-6124;
cjlarsen@wpi.edu
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Personal
Website
B.S., Carnegie Mellon University, 1989
J.D., University of Maryland, 1992
M.S., Carnegie Mellon University, 1994
Ph.D., Carnegie Mellon University, 1996
Professor Larsen's areas of research include:
1. Partial Differential Equations
2. Calculus of Variations
3. Geometric Measure Theory
4. Applications to Materials Science, especially Fracture Mechanics
Professional Highlights:
1. Lecturer, Park City Mathematics Institute - Institute for Advanced Study, 2014
2. Leverhulme Visiting Professor
3. Visiting positions at Caltech, Oxford, University of Paris IX, University of Paris XIII
4. NSF Principal Investigator since 2005, with individual research funding over $900,000
Research Staff
Xiang Chen
Research Scientist, iMdc
+1-508-762-2597; xiangchen@wpi.edu
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B.S., North University of China, China, 2006
M.S., Central South University, China, 2009
Ph.D., Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 2014 (iMdc)
Mr. Chen received his B.S. in Metallurgical Engineering in 2006 from North University of China and his M.S. in Materials Science in 2009 from Central South University, China. After graduating from Central South University, he started his Ph.D. program in Material Science and Engineering at WPI in September 2009. He joined the iMdc team in December 2009.
His B.S. research was focused on the strain hardening behavior and
dynamic performance of cast magnesium alloys. During his M.S. program
he conducted a microalloying study in ultra-high strength Al-Zn-Mg-Cu
alloys, sponsored by the National Basic Research Program of China. His
M.S. work included solidification processing and heat treatment, alloy
design, recrystallization behavior, tensile fracture, stress corrosion
cracking, intergranular corrosion and exfoliation corrosion.
Xiang's Ph.D. research is focused on the in-situ processing of nano-scale metal matrix composites, and the high temperature response and creep behavior of these materials.
Awards
2013 ASM Chet Inman Award for research excellence and contributions to ASM.
Graduate Students
Chris Collins
Ph.D. Student, iMdc
cmcollins@wpi.edu
B.S., Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, 2012
M.S., Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, 2016
Areas of expertise: thin film deposition (E-Beam Deposition; Thermal Evaporation; DC and RF Sputtering); Java, C++, Matlab programming.
Areas of interest: Failure Analysis; Additive Manufacturing; Metals Processing; Computational Modeling; Microstructural Evolution and Characterization
Akshatha C. Dixith
Ph.D. Student, iMdc
achandrashekardi@wpi.edu
B.E., Sri Jayachamarajendra College of Engineering, India, 2015
M.Sc., TU Dortmund, Germany, 2018
Akshatha received her Master of Science degree in Manufacturing Technology at TU Dortmund, Germany. She completed her undergraduate education in Industrial and Production Engineering at SJCE, India. After graduation, Akshatha joined the iMdc team and is pursuing Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at WPI. Akshatha's doctoral research focuses on computational modeling for metal additive manufacturing and fatigue crack initiation.
Hayden Furcolo
Ph.D. Student, iMdc
hfurcolo@wpi.edu
B.S., Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, 2020
Mr. Furcolo received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 2020. After graduating, he worked as a structural engineer for General Dynamics Electric Boat before joining the iMdc team in 2021 and pursuing a Ph.D. in Material Science and Engineering. Hayden's doctoral research is focused on the qualification of very high cycle fatigue methods, high-temperature fatigue, microstructural damage accumulation, and cast Al alloys.
Deepali Patil
Ph.D. Student, iMdc
dpatil@wpi.edu
B. Tech., College of Engineering Pune, India, 2016
M.Sc., California State Polytechnic University Pomona, 2019
Deepali received her Master of Science in Materials Engineering from Cal Poly Pomona in December 2019. During her masters, she worked on several projects that helped improve the corrosion and oxidation resistance of Fe-, Ni-, Mo-base alloys at elevated temperatures. She also gained experience in ICME for materials design while interning over summer. In August 2021, she would join the iMdc team to pursue her Ph.D. studies in Materials Science and Engineering. Her current research focuses on computational modeling of additively manufactured Al-alloys for studying the microstructural evolution and its effect on the mechanical properties.
Timothy Piette
Ph.D. Student, iMdc
tdpiette@wpi.edu
B.S., Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 2016
M.S., Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, 2019 (iMdc)
Mr. Piette received his B.S. in Materials Engineering with a minor in Management in May 2016 from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. After graduating, he worked in industry for a year, and took graduate courses at University of Rhode Island. He joined the iMdc team to pursue his M.S./Ph.D. studies in Materials Science and Engineering. Tim's areas of expertise include ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) and high temperature creep, polymer-derived ceramic coatings, flash sintering, and process development and validation. He is interested in additive manufacturing, material/process development and scale-up, computational materials science (ICME), and processing-microstructure-property relationships (especially, mechanical and thermal properties in metals/ceramics/composites).
Matt Ryder
Ph.D. Student, iMdc
maryder@wpi.edu
B.S., Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, 2016
M.S., Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, 2017 (iMdc)
Mr. Ryder received his B.S. and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 2016 and 2017, respectively, and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering. Matt's doctoral research focuses on the process-microstructure-properties relationships of heat treated additively manufactured - via SLM - and wrought low carbon steels; and the optimization of these materials for structural and fatigue critical applications.
Chris Sample
Ph.D. Student, iMdc
cmsample@wpi.edu
B.S., Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, 2016
Mr. Sample received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Manufacturing Engineering in May 2016 from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. After graduating, he joined the iMdc team starting his Ph.D. program in Material Science and Engineering. Chris's doctoral research focuses on processing considerations, fatigue crack growth mechanisms, and interface stability in cold-spray 6061-Al and other high strength Al and Ti alloys.
Xiangbin Wang
Ph.D. Student, iMdc
xwang10@wpi.edu
B.S., University of Science and Technology Beijing, China, 2014
M.S., Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 2016 (iMdc)
Mr. Wang received his B.S. in material Science and Engineering in 2014 from University of Science and Technology Beijing, China. After graduating, he started his M.S. program in Material Science and Engineering at WPI in September 2014. He joined the iMdc team in September 2015 and started his
Ph.D. program in September 2016. Mr. Wang's doctoral research foucuess on friction stir welding of dissimilar materials.
Bonnie Whitney
Ph.D. Student, iMdc
bcwhitney@wpi.edu
B.S., Materials Science and Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2017
Mrs. Whitney received her B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in June 2017. After graduation, she worked at an aerospace company for two years. In
August 2019, she joined the iMdc team to pursue her Ph.D. studies in Materials Science and Engineering. Bonnie's current research focuses on computational modeling of metal AM processes for
microstructure prediction.
iMdc Past Researchers and Graduate Students
Tiantian Zhang
B.Eng., Imperial College London, United Kingdom, 2011
Ph.D., Imperial College London, United Kingdom, 2015
Research Scientist, iMdc, 2018
Robert Warren
B.Eng., Swansea University, UK, 2011
Eng.D., Swansea University, UK, 2015
Research Scientist, iMdc, 2018
Yuwei Zhai
B.S., Xi'an University of Science and Technoloyg, China, 2011
M.S., Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 2014
Ph.D., Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 2018 (iMdc)
Research Scientist, iMdc, 2019
Awards
GRAD14 Research Achievement Day, Poster Competition Engineering Session (M.S.), 1st Prize
2014 Sigma Xi Outstanding Master's Thesis Award
2014-2015 Stoddard Fellowship
Anthony Spangenberger, III
Ph.D. Student & Research scientist, iMdc
B.S., Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 2012
Ph.D., Worcester Polytechnic Institute 2017 (iMdc)
Research Scientist, iMdc, 2019
Awards
GRAD13 Research Achievement Day, Poster Competition Engineering Session (Ph.D.), 1st Prize
Anastasios G. Gavras
B.S., National Technical University of Athens, 2006
M.S., National Technical University of Athens, 2007
Ph.D., Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 2012 (iMdc)
Awards:
2011 ASM Chet Inman Award for research excellence and contributions to ASM
2012 Best Ph.D. Thesis in Engineering at WPI
Yi Pan
B.S., Nanjing University, China, 2012
M.S., Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 2014
Ph.D., Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 2019 (iMdc)
Karim A. Elsayed
B.S./M.S., Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 2018
M.S., Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 2020 (iMdc)
Joshua Morales
B.S., Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 2014
M.S., Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 2019 (iMdc)
Jeffrey Porzio
B.S., Ithaca College, US, 2014
M.S., Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 2019 (iMdc)
Theofilos Gatsos
B.S., Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 2017
M.S., Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 2019 (iMdc)
Haize Galarraga
M.S., Engineering School of Bilbao, University of the Basque Country, Spain, 2003
M.S., Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 2016 (iMdc)
Hayley Sandgren
B.S., Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 2013
M.S., Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 2014 (iMdc)
Awards
GRAD14 Research Achievement Day, Poster Competition Engineering Session (M.S.), 3rd Prize
Ye Cao
B.S., Beijing University of Technology, China, 2010
M.S., Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 2013 (iMdc)
Andrew Biro
B.S., Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 2010
M.S., Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 2012 (iMdc)
Awards:
2012 Chet Inman Award, ASM International - Central Massachusetts
Chapter
Brendan F. Chenelle
B.S., Mechanical Engineering, University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, 2008
M.S., Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 2010 (iMdc)
Awards:
2011 Sigma Xi Outstanding Master's Thesis Award
Christopher J. Lammi
B.S., Physics, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
M.S., Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 2009 (iMdc)
Industry Leadership - Steering Committee
Brad Boyce
Sandia National Laboratories
Colette Fennessy
Collins Aerospace
Mark Hardy
Rolls-Royce
Robert Hathaway
Oshkosh Corporation
Fred Major (Advisor)
Rio Tinto Alcan (retired)
Rodney Riek (Advisor)
Harley-Davidson (retired)
Miguel Sanchez
Superior Industries
Lin Zhang
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
Last modified: Dec 11, 2023, 21:02 UTC