The NAMRI | SME Board of Directors makes policy for the institution that represents manufacturing research leadership in industry, government and academia in North America and the world. The board is comprised of the NAMRI | SME Executive Committee (past president, president, president-elect and secretary), the Scientific Committee chair and six NAMRI | SME at-large directors. The past president of the institution is replaced on the board of directors by the retiring president immediately following NAMRC.

President

Ihab Ragai, PhD, PE, CMfgE, FASME
Professor of Engineering
The Pennsylvania State University
The Behrend College
Erie, Pennsylvania

Ihab Ragai, PhD, PE, is a Professor of Engineering at the Pennsylvania State University, Erie. He is also a Visiting Professor at Rosenheim Technical University of Applied Sciences, Germany. His research interests include advanced manufacturing processes, smart manufacturing, machine and tool monitoring, design optimization, and materials constitutive modelling. For over 20 years, he has held several positions in aerospace and heavy equipment industries. Prior to joining academia, he was a Senior Engineering Manager at Hitachi Canada, overseeing projects related to product development, truck dynamics and fatigue analysis, structural and drive systems design, and manufacturing processes. Dr. Ragai serves as the 2024-25 NAMRI President. He also served as the Chair and Host of NAMRC 47-MSEC 2019, a Director on the NAMRI Board, the 2020-22 NAMRI Scientific Committee Chair, and the 2014 MSEC Technical Program Chair. Additionally, he is a guest editor of SME’s “Journal of Manufacturing Systems,” “Journal of Manufacturing Processes,” and “Manufacturing Letters.” He is a registered Professional Engineer in Canada and the USA, a Certified Manufacturing Engineer, a fellow of ASME, a research fellow of DAAD Germany, and a recipient of several national and international awards. SME Member Since 1998

Past President

KC Morris, FSME
Information Modeling and Testing Group Leader
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Gaithersburg, Maryland

KC Morris, FSME, is an internationally recognized expert in computing and engineering information systems and standards development for digital manufacturing with 30 years of experience. Her research concentrates on introducing smart technology into the manufacturing sector and developing new practices for more competitive and sustainable manufacturing. Morris leads the Information, Modeling and Testing Group in the Engineering Lab at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Currently, she is detailed to the Office of Congressman Tom Reed as an ASME Congressional Fellow, bringing the voice of manufacturing to the halls of Congress. Morris leads the activities of the bipartisan House Manufacturing, which include legislative activities, facilitating topical briefings and sharing the manufacturing perspective. SME Member Since 2018

Second Past President

Livan Fratini, PhD 
Chair and Professor
Department of Engineering
University of Palermo
Palermo, Italy

Livan Fratini, PhD, is a chair and professor in the Department of Engineering at University of Palermo, Italy. Fratini's major research areas include process engineering of metal forming and joining operations. He is a fellow of CIRP (The International Academy for Production Engineering), president of ESAFORM (European Scientific Association for Material Forming) and a fellow of AITEM (Italian Association of Mechanical Technology). Fratini has received the F.W. Taylor Medal of CIRP in 2007. He is a co-author of approximately 300 publications. SME Member Since 2014

Ex-Officio

Hitomi Yamaguchi Greenslet, PhD, FSME
Professor
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida

Hitomi Yamaguchi Greenslet is a professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Florida. Her path to UF includes positions in industry, national laboratories, and academia, both inside and outside her native Japan. She has taught manufacturing engineering throughout her academic career, and her research interests include magnetic field-assisted finishing, abrasive technology, and medical-device development. Her work has been published in over 100 refereed journal papers, and she has been granted 12 patents. She has received many awards, including the SME John T. Parsons Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer Award in 2000. She served as the president of the North American Manufacturing Research Institute of SME for the 2018-2019 term. She currently serves as an SME International Director and the chair of the Scientific Technical Committee for Abrasive Processes of CIRP (the International Academy for Production Engineering). She has been elected as a fellow of both ASME and SME. She is passionate about working in the areas of Manufacturing Education and Workforce Development. She invites both K-12 and university students to her laboratory, and she has hosted events where professionals can share their experiences in engineering education and career development.

President Elect

Dale R. Lombardo
Principal Engineer, Manufacturing Technology
GE Aviation
Niskayuna, New York

Dale R. Lombardo leads a diverse team of manufacturing technologists working across GE Aviation’s broad process and product portfolio. His team links materials to design to customers through a variety of special processes used in the manufacture of jet engines. Lombardo’s group manages the processes’ technical and quality requirements via a distributed team of hundreds of experts and practitioners across engineering and manufacturing. His team is a key part of how GE Aviation maintains high-quality standards while also leaning forward into novel special processes and process control strategies. Lombardo graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in mechanical engineering with a specialization in mechatronics and controls. He has worked in a variety of manufacturing technology roles for GE including Global Research, GE Power and GE Aviation. Lombardo’s personal technical background is in machining, monitoring, surface treatment (peening) and surface finishing. He has represented himself and GE on industry task groups (Nadcap), standards boards (ASME B46.1), and various panels and paper review processes including NAMRI | SME and CIRP. Lombardo holds multiple patents in a broad array of manufacturing-related disciplines. He is also a volunteer and mentor in his local school district and supports STEM activities from elementary through graduate-level programs locally. SME Member Since 2018

Secretary

Robert X. Gao, PhD, FSME
Professor and Department Chair Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland

Robert X. Gao, PhD, FSME, is the Cady Staley professor of engineering and department chair of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. His research is in the areas of multiphysics sensing, multiresolution signal processing, machine learning and wireless communication for improving the observability of dynamical systems such as manufacturing equipment and processes. Gao has authored or co-authored more than 170 peer-reviewed journal articles, two books, several book chapters and holds 12 patents. Currently, he serves as a senior editor for the IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics. Gao is a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, SME, CIRP (International Academy for Production Engineering) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. He is a recipient of several professional honors, including the Eli Whitney Productivity Award from SME, the Blackall Machine Tool and Gage Award from ASME, the Technical Award and Best Application Award from the Instrumentation and Measurement Society of IEEE and several best paper awards. Gao has been named one of the 20 most influential professors in smart manufacturing. SME Member Since 2005

Scientific Committee Chair

Xun Xu, PhD, FASME
Professor, Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering
The University of Auckland
Auckland, New Zealand

Xun W. Xu, PhD, FASME, is a professor of Manufacturing at the Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, The University of Auckland. He has been working in the field of intelligent manufacturing solutions for some 30 years. Dr. Xu is an internationally recognized expert in smart manufacturing systems, STEP-NC, cloud-based manufacturing and IoT-enabled manufacturing. He serves as an Associate Editor and member of the Editorial Board of a number of international journals and has published over 350 research papers. Dr. Xu is the Director of Laboratory for Industry 4.0 Smart Manufacturing Systems (LISMS), the only Laboratory for Industry 4.0 in New Zealand. His current research focus is on Industry 4.0 technologies, e.g. smart factories, digital twins, cloud manufacturing, model-based manufacturing, big industrial data and data analytics. Dr. Xu is a Fellow of the American Society for Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and Engineering New Zealand (EngNZ). In 2020, he is named among of the “20 most Influential Professors in Smart Manufacturing” by SME. He was also recognized by Web of Science as a Clarivate™ Highly Cited Researcher in 2020.

Scientific Committee Chair-Elect

Stefania Bruschi, PhD
Professor, Manufacturing Technologies
University of Padova
Italy

Stefania Bruschi, PhD, is a professor of Manufacturing Technologies at the Department of Industrial Engineering at the University of Padova, Italy, and is a member of the Board of Directors of the University. Her major research areas include sheet and bulk metal forming and machining of metal alloys, focusing on material behavior, process, and product performances. The research activities are carried out in the framework of EU and Italian-funded projects, and research contracts with Italian and European manufacturing companies. She is a fellow of CIRP (The International Academy for Production Engineering), and currently Vice-Chair of the CIRP Scientific Technical Committee “Forming”. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the North American Manufacturing Research Institution, where now serves as Chair-elect of the Scientific Committee. She is a co-author of more than 300 Scopus-indexed publications.

NAMRI | SME Directors

Wayne Cai, PhD, FASME
Technical Fellow
General Motors

Dr. Wayne Cai is a Technical Fellow at General Motors Global R&D Center in Warren, Michigan, USA. His research area is advanced manufacturing technologies, where mechanics, materials, and mathematics (statistics) are used to optimize manufacturing processes and systems for improved quality, reliability and reduced cost. He is well-recognized for innovations with over 40 granted patents and many GM tradesecrets inventions. He authored over 100 peer-reviewed research papers, one book on li-ion battery manufacturing, and is a frequently invited speaker at a variety of industrial and academic forums. Dr. Cai was Chair of SAE Hybrid Electric Vehicle Committee, Chair of ASME Manufacturing Process Technical Committee and associated Chair of North American Manufacturing Research Institute. He is serving or had served as associate editors for a number of prestigious ASME, SME and SAE research journals. Dr. Cai received his Ph.D. from University of Michigan, and is a Fellow of ASME and SAE.

Qing (Cindy) Chang, PhD, FASME
Professor, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
University of Virginia, Charlottesville

Qing (Cindy) Chang, PhD, FASME, is a Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Virginia (UVA). Her primary research focuses on modeling and analyzing dynamic manufacturing system, enhancing manufacturing system sustainability and efficiency through adaptive control and machine learning based control, and exploring human-robot collaborations in manufacturing domain. Her research has been supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) (including NSF CAREER award), Department of Energy (DOE), and various industries. Prior to her academic career, Dr. Chang amassed a decade of experience at General Motors Research & Development Center, where she received the highest award in GM, Boss Kettering Awards, three times in recognition of her research on improving production efficiency. Dr. Chang is an ASME fellow and has been recognized as one of 20 most influential professors in smart manufacturing by SME in 2020.

Brad Kinsey, PhD, FSME
Associate Dean for Research and Professor
University of New Hampshire

Brad Kinsey is the Associate Dean for Research in the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences (CEPS) and a Professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of New Hampshire. His research, which is on the mechanics, materials, and manufacturing innovations of deformation processes, has been funded by industry and several US government agencies, including the National Science Foundation (including a CAREER award), Department of Energy (DOE), Department of Defense, and National Institute of Standards and Technology and led to over 200-peer publications. His awards include Fellow status in the Society of Manufacturing Engineers and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Associate Member status in CIRP (International Institution for Production Engineering Research), and the Ralph R. Teetor Award from the Society of Automotive Engineers. In 2013, he served as the DOE Representative to the Advanced Manufacturing National Program Office, which coordinates the Manufacturing USA network. SME Member since 2004.

Patrick Kwon, PhD
Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Michigan State University
Lansing, Michigan

Prof. Kwon has received his B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) in 1983, MIT in 1985 and University of California (Berkeley) in 1994, respectively. He started his academic career as an assistant professor in Department of Materials Science and Mechanics at Michigan State University (MSU) in 1996 and moved over to Department of Mechanical Engineering in 2000. He was promoted to Professor in Department of Mechanical Engineering at MSU in 2009. He served as associate editor for ASME Journal of Manufacturing Science and Engineering between 2009 and 2015 and for International Journal of Precision Engineering and Manufacturing since 2012. He now serves as Associate chair for graduate studies in Department of Mechanical Engineering since 2017. He has made fundamental contributions in understanding tool wear and minimum quantity lubrication in machining and powder processing in metals and ceramics. Recently, he has worked on metallic additive manufacturing including improving binder jet printing and electron beam melting and developed a new process called scalable and expeditious additive manufacturing (SEAM).

Arif Malik, PhD, FASME
Professor
The University of Texas at Dallas

Arif Malik, PhD, FASME, is a Professor and Associate Head in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at The University of Texas at Dallas. He received his doctorate in Mechanical Engineering from Wright State University in 2007. Prior to this he held several engineering positions in industry, including in manufacturing process control, metals R&D, and field applications engineering. He also spent 5 years in a technology start-up company that he co-founded to supply process control software to the metals manufacturing industry. Malik received the NSF CAREER Award in 2015, and his research has led to advances in the understanding of both traditional and emerging manufacturing processes, such as in

rolling, laser treatment/processing, and hybrid manufacturing, as well as energy applications. He has served on the editorial board of the Journal of Manufacturing Processes, and is currently an Associate Editor for the Journal of Manufacturing Science and Engineering. He has also been a passionate advocate in promoting opportunities for neuro-diverse students to succeed in manufacturing careers through “Engineering Brighter Futures for Autism” events conducted in partnership with industry, occupational therapy experts, and advocacy groups.

Andy Wells, PhD, PE
Program Director
National Science Foundation

Dr. Andy Wells joined the Advanced Manufacturing program as a permanent Program Director in July 2019. Andy brings to the program over 25 years of experience developing and building precision equipment that enables manufacturers and researchers to visualize and transform materials at the micro- and nano-scale. Most recently, he was a technical program manager at Thermo Fisher Scientific and FEI Company, where he led development of scanning electron microscopes and ion-beam machining tools for semiconductor, materials science, and life science customers. Previously, he developed equipment for laser and mechanical micromachining at Electro Scientific Industries and was an adjunct professor at Portland State University. Andy received his PhD and MS degrees in mechanical engineering from Caltech, and his bachelor's degree from Dartmouth.