Speakers

Saurabh Bahuguna is currently Global Technical Specialist for Battery Durability & Fatigue at General Motors. In his current role, Saurabh provides technical leadership and guidance for structural analysis required to develop and validate Battery Packs, Modules and Cells. Saurabh is also responsible for setting the strategic technical vision for the team leading to new analysis capability development. Prior to this role, Saurabh was Technical Specialist for Motors & Power Electronics Structures.

Saurabh has over 20 years of experience providing technical leadership in a variety of roles and simulation domains. Supporting this is a very strong educational background with a PhD in Engineering Mechanics.

Jameson is currently the global manager for the CAE and advanced testing group at Celanese Corporation, where he leads a team that is responsible for supporting both internal and external customers through design, generating complex data, material modeling, simulation and validation through component testing. Jameson went to Kettering University, in Flint, Michigan, for his BSME and has over 20 years of experience in the plastics industry supporting customers in a variety of areas while at Celanese.

I'm currently a Director of Design and Development at BD serving our Catheter Care, Injection Systems, Infusion Preparation and Delivery and Hazardous Drug Safety business units. We act as an in house design firm that brings new products to market and jumps in as a tiger team to solve critical issues and support innovation including due diligence. At my core I'm an engineer that loves to solve problems that can help make the world a better place. I'm motivated by the opportunity to improve quality and access to health care and I'm passionate about doing this in a way that both improves the lives of patients and drives business growth. Lastly, I'm excited about looking for new ways to drive quality and efficiency to support the best possible outcomes for patients and the businesses we serve.

George Karniadakis is the Charles Pitts Robinson and John Palmer Barstow Professorof Applied Mathematics and Engineering, Brown University. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellow. He received his S.M. and Ph.D. from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1984/87). He was appointed Lecturer in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at MIT and subsequently he joined the Center for Turbulence Research at Stanford / Nasa Ames. He joined Princeton University as Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and as Associate Faculty in the Program of Applied and Computational Mathematics. He was a Visiting Professor at Caltech in 1993 in the Aeronautics Department and joined Brown University as Associate Professor of Applied Mathematics in the Center for Fluid Mechanics in 1994. After becoming a full professor in 1996, he continued to be a Visiting Professor and Senior Lecturer of Ocean/Mechanical Engineering at MIT. He is an AAAS Fellow (2018-), Fellow of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM, 2010-), Fellow of the American Physical
Society (APS, 2004-), Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers
(ASME, 2003-) and Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA, 2006-).  He received the SES G.I. Taylor medal (2014), the SIAM/ACM Prize on Computational Science & Engineering (2021), the Alexander von Humboldt award in 2017, the SIAM Ralf E Kleinman award (2015), the J. Tinsley Oden Medal (2013), and the CFD award (2007) by the US Association in Computational Mechanics. His h-index is 140 and he has been cited over 100,000 times.

With over sixteen years of experience, Ali has actively contributed to the design and analysis of energy products. His expertise spans various disciplines, encompassing 3D linear/non-linear Finite Element (FE) and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis, and design of oil and gas products. Ali holds an MSc and PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Northeastern University, along with an MBA from the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign. He is actively engaged in activities such as structural/thermal analysis, digital twin implementation, drop object analysis, and fatigue and failure life calculations for a variety of energy components. Ali also possesses significant expertise in the digital twin concept, condition-based monitoring, data analytics, and machine learning within his skill set.

Faisal Sayeed is currently the Engineering Group Manager for the Battery Durability & Fatigue at General Motors. Faisal Sayeed, in his current role, provides enterprise-wide solution to the Battery to Cell Manufacturing process, Design & Synthesis and Validations before ship to commerce. He is responsible for budgeting, planning and emotional intelligence of the team members to make sure the readiness of the virtual validation. Prior to this role, Faisal was the Manager of the Engine & Electrification Sealing & Fastening group and the Virtual Integration Manger for the Small Block Engines.

Faisal has over 20 years of experience from Engine to Electrification providing leadership in both product design as a DRE and in virtual space to achieve validation with minimal prototype tooling. Faisal Sayeed has a MSc in Structural Mechanics.

Mark Taylor is currently the FEA Development Lead at Boeing Commercial Airplanes, Finite Element Analysis Technical Excellence Center. Mark received his Bachelor of Science in Aeronautics and Astronautics Engineering from the University of Washington in Seattle. He has over 20 years of simulation experience across a range of structural analysis including vehicle level, propulsion systems, and detailed component models. As the development lead Mark aligns best practices alongside robust automation processes to further advance simulation across the entire commercial airplane portfolio.

Jason Action is an Aeronautical Engineer at Lockheed Martin for the past 21 years. His focus is in structural analysis and finite element modeling ranging from full air vehicle models down to detailed part models. He has used Abaqus extensively over the course of his career, performing and helping to develop progressive damage analysis methods on composite parts and joints.

Zach Alderman has held various technical positions with Avient Corporation for nine years, and currently works with the Avient Design Engineering Team. He has a B.S. in Plastics Engineering Technology from Penn State Erie, the Behrend College. He holds a graduate certificate in FEA from the Colorado School of Mines, and an associate level certification in AutoDesk Moldflow. He has published work in Plastics Technology Magazine, authoring a 2022 article titled, “The Long and Short of It – Tips for Molding Short-Fiber Reinforced Polymers.” As a Design Engineer, he utilizes various forms of simulation to support customer projects including ABAQUS, AutoDesk Moldflow, Digimat, etc. He currently resides in Pittsburgh, PA.

Ameya Apte in his current role, is part of the core team developing the model database in Simpack for Vehicle Dynamics and Loads Simulation. This is in support of the vision to lead design and integration of new products using virtual tools. He has also plays a key role in developing and implementing a number of other initiatives to improve analysis capabilities in the vehicle dynamics and loads prediction domain.

Ameya received his MS from Purdue University in Mechanical Engineering with a focus in Dynamics. He is an engineer with over a decade of experience in multi-body dynamics. He has developed modeling capabilities in various domains including, engine dynamics, gear dynamics and vehicle dynamics.

Stefan Castravete is a seasoned expert in Computational Aided Engineering (CAE) with over two decades of experience across diverse industries including medical engineering, automotive, aerospace, marine, and renewable energy. Holding a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Wayne State University, his expertise lies in computational and numerical methods, structural mechanics, fluid dynamics, and optimization. Stefan is a certified instructor and technical support specialist for Dassault Systems Simulia, showcasing his proficiency in industry-leading CAE software.

Throughout his career, Stefan has managed and coordinated complex projects, conducting in-depth analyses such as CFD, finite element analysis, and analytical calculations. He has made significant contributions to research, developing algorithms for fluid-structure interaction, stochastic finite element methods, and wing flutter simulation. As a former research assistant and teaching assistant, Stefan has mentored students and contributed to academic advancements in dynamics and vibrations.

His dedication to advancing engineering knowledge is reflected in his numerous publications, presentations, and involvement in research grants. As a certified trainer and judiciary technical expert, Stefan remains committed to driving excellence in engineering practices and fostering industry growth.

Arindam Chakraborty, Ph.D., PE (TX, CA) is a mechanical engineer with more than 15 years of strong academic and consulting experience in solid mechanics and design, non-linear FEA, fatigue and fracture mechanics, reliability analysis. He also has a strong background in project management, business development, technology and software application development. Dr. Chakraborty has strong technical knowledge and working skills in CAE techniques and widely known structural analysis software (ANSYS/ABAQUS). He has experience in automating complex engineering problems using codes in FORTRAN/C/C#/VBA/Java/Python including GUI and kernel scripts. Dr. Chakraborty has more than twenty-five conference and journal publications and is closely involved with ASME Codes & Standards committee and API task groups.

Kenneth K. Dang is currently the Digital Transformation Simulation-Analysis Lead Engineer and Product Owner for Boeing Commercial Airplane Digital Engineering Airplane Level Engineering Integration with focus in Structural Analysis/Simulation, Analysis Process Data Management (APDM) and Product Lifecycle Management. Kenneth is subject matter expert in the area: 3DExperience and Model-Based Engineering that encompass charting and developing a processes/tools/business process guides/design practices to support enterprise new airplane product introduction, future airplane program and existing legacy product. Kenneth's past experience includes: strong theoretical and analytical knowledge in static, fatigue and fracture mechanics. Extensive of industry experience working with all aspects of aircraft structural integrity of metallic structures that encompasses: static, fatigue and fracture mechanics analysis, material science manufacturing process, finite element analysis, stress analysis testing, spectrum development, design and failure assessment. Familiar and experience with Mil-Handbook Specs and commercial air transport FAR Part 25 requirements. Kenneth has strong experience working on both defense airframe platform and commercial airframe platform: F/A-18 E/F/G, F-5/T-38, ASIP (Airforce Structural Integrity Program), 777X Product Development, 777 (-9/8), VC25B Presidential Aircraft Replacement, Customer Product Support.

Kenneth is also Core Instructor - Structure University. Course Author and Instructor – Boeing Ed-Wells Program (Kenneth develop and teach Introduction to Structural Analysis of Airplane Components EWTP0244).
Kenneth holds a B.S from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and M.S from University of California-Los Angeles. Professional Engineer license within California Board of Professional Engineer.

Ricardo de Alba Alvarez, based in Detroit, Michigan, United States, is currently a CAE Process Lead at Ford Motor Company, bringing experience from previous roles at Blachford Acoustics Group and Gissing North America, LLC. Ricardo de Alba Alvarez holds a 2007 - 2011 Ph.D. in Sound and Vibration, (Structural Dynamics) at the University of Southampton. With a robust skill set that includes Structural Dynamics, Vibration, NVH, Modal Analysis, Finite Element Analysis and more, Ricardo de Alba Alvarez contributes valuable insights to the industry.

Mike Dillman is a Senior Design Engineer with the Avient Design Engineering Team at Avient Corporation. With 11+ years of engineering experience in various technical positions, Mike is responsible for leading customer projects to ensure specified performance characteristics are realized through simulation analysis. He utilizes various forms of simulation including ABAQUS, Moldflow, Digimat, etc. Mike graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and a Bachelor of Arts in German from the University of Rhode Island. Mike also graduated with a Master of Engineering in Polymer Science and Engineering from Lehigh University. Mike holds an associate level certification in AutoDesk Moldflow. He currently resides just outside of Philadelphia, PA.

Tom Feister leads the structures simulation team at TriMech Enterprise Solutions. His background includes metal forming, materials testing, damage modeling, process optimization, structural integrity and tire workflows. He honed his expertise in finite element analysis (FEA) in previous positions at EWI, KTH Parts, Scientific Forming Technologies Corporation (SFTC), and AutoForm Engineering. Tom specializes in helping engineers develop new skills in FEA that can be used to create a safer and more sustainable world. He is also an Ohio-certified Professional Engineer (PE) in the metallurgical and materials field.

Dr. Luca Francesconi is an experienced Mechanical Engineer specializing in Vibro-Acoustic simulation, material characterization, and FEA. He holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering and has extensive experience in R&D, currently focusing on wearable and hearable devices at Logitech. His expertise includes leading FEA for Ultimate Ears “FITS” and conducting vibroacoustic simulations for consumer electronics. Dr. Francesconi's work integrates advanced materials and computational analysis to innovate in the field of Vibro-Acoustics.

Kamalendu is a Research Scientist at KLA. He works on developing physics based simulation capabilities to predict, control, and reduce variability in semiconductor manufacturing processes. He has a PhD from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign where he developed analytical and computational tools to predict and design effective properties of soft dielectric elastomer composites from microstructural inputs. Prior to his PhD, he worked as a Structural Engineer for Thornton Tomasetti.

Vignaud is a doctor in Science and Technology with a specialty in design and development of mechanical systems. Graduate in PICYT CIDESI Querétaro Mexico in 2021. He is professor in the robotics engineering department and coordinator of the master's degree in advanced technology of Polytechnic University of Guanajuato. He has worked on projects such as robot design, evaluation of residual stresses in thermally affected zones, mechanical validation of hip prostheses, powder metallurgy, implementation of industrial robots, conversion of an internal combustion vehicle to electric and currently in the development of an electric single-seater similar to formula one. He collaborated in the installation and start-up of the laser technology laboratory for LSP applications at CIDESI. He performed simulation work of treatment LSP and has also worked with researchers from the University of Guadalajara, CIDESI and the Polytechnic University of Madrid. His research interests include advanced design mechanism, mechanical design, CAD-CAM-CAE technologies, fatigue and experimental mechanics.

Dr. Youssef Hammi is currently an Associate Professor at the Mechanical Engineering Department and held positions as an Associate Research Professor at the Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems at Mississippi State University and postdoctoral researcher at Sandia National Laboratories. Dr. Hammi’s research activities of particular interest encompass macromechanical/micromechanical constitutive modeling, user material subroutines (Umat/Vumat) inelastic behavior, damage, failure, fracture, fatigue, computational mechanics, discrete elements (DEM), user element subroutines (UEL), Coupled Eulerian Lagrangian (CEL), finite element analysis (FEA), and Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI). He has served as PI/co-PI on several externally funded projects from NSF, NASA, ARL, DOE and DOD. He has over 25 years of experience in the use of computational mechanics and nonlinear finite element method. He has published over 50 refereed journal and conference papers on computational mechanical and nonlinear finite elements.

Jeff Hodgkins has 18+ years in the automotive NVH industry and is currently the senior NVH applications engineer at VI-grade North America. There he supports local and international vehicle OEM/suppliers in finding virtual simulation solutions for full vehicle and component level NVH performance development. Before VI-grade, Jeff worked 15+ years at Toyota North America as a principal engineer in their NVH vehicle performance group, overseeing the setting of vehicle image (ICE/HV) performance targets and the development of components, body structures, and interior and exterior acoustic packages through virtual modeling and physical testing. Jeff is also a graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Lowell where he studied structural dynamics and modal analysis.

Jamison Huber is a Lead Simulation Engineer at Doosan Bobcat and works out of their Acceleration Center in Bismarck, ND. Jamison received his Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering at North Dakota State University, where he focused computation fluid dynamics and transitional turbulence modeling.

Jamison has been in the CFD field for 15years and has been using PowerFLOW for more than 8 years. His current primary focus is on underhood thermal modeling and acoustic simulations (primarily fan noise) and has applied those disciplines to Doosan Bobcats entire off-highway product line.

Jamison has been in the CFD field for 15 years and has been using PowerFLOW for more than 8 years. His current primary focus is on underhood thermal modeling and acoustic simulations (primarily fan noise) and has applied those disciplines to Doosan Bobcats entire off-highway product line.

Arshad is a seasoned Mechanical Engineer with a master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering (CAD/CAM) from Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology (MNNIT), Allahabad. Specializing in Computer Aided
Design and Finite Element Method, Arshad currently excels as a Virtual Analysis Specialist at CNH Industrial, a role he has held for two years. Arshad has 20 years of experience encompass designanalysis, validation in the automotive and construction sectors, and expertise in a wide array of simulations and fatigue analyses. 

Arshad’s technical acumen in dynamic, frequency response, and various fatigue analyses is complemented by his contributions to virtual shake table simulations and Test-FEA correlations. His analytical prowess extends to investigating field failures and implementing cost-reduction strategies,
showcasing his ability to blend technical expertise with strategic problem-solving.

An active participant in the engineering community, Arshad’s insights are shared in his published work at the Abaqus India Regional User’s Meet. His paper, "Random vibration analysis and fatigue life
evaluation of auxiliary heater bracket," underscores his commitment to advancing his field.

At CNH Industrial, Arshad is not just a specialist; he is a mentor and leader, driving innovation and setting standards in FEA methodologies and support for testing requirements. His career reflects a dedication to excellence in mechanical engineering, making him an invaluable asset to his industry.

Figen Lacin is manager of CFD team at Tenneco. She leads engineering team working on thermal, fluid and acoustics modeling to develop exhaust aftertreatment systems and in house software tool development. She has been working at Tenneco over 22 years. She has her PhD in Mechanical Engineering and B.Sc. in Aeronautical Engineering.

Haiyan Li - Global Technical Specialist, Casting Component Durability and Fatigue group, General Motors. Haiyan leads a global team in developing standard analysis works and capability growth, with main focus on casting components durability and battery manufacturing. Prior to joining GM, she held the position of Senior Technical Specialist at Dassault Systèmes Simulia Corp. Haiyan has over 20 years of FEA experience dealing with a wide range of engineering problems. She holds a PhD in High Temperature Structural Mechanics from Beihang (BUAA) University, China.

Clint Patton started using simulation tools while working on his master’s degree with the Missouri S&T EMC Laboratory. He has over 17 years of experience designing, simulating, and testing electronic devices. He started working with GoEngineer in February of 2023 supporting the CST simulation platform and enjoys working on RF, EMI/EMC, and signal and power integrity problems.

Zheng Peng earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in 1982 and master’s degree in vehicle engineering in 1985. He graduated from the University of Missouri-Rolla (UMR) with a Ph.D. degree in engineering mechanics in 1995. Zheng worked with Ford Motor Company during the period of 1995 to 2006. He was a vehicle crash safety engineer and performed CAE on multiple vehicle platforms in various Ford organizations. During his employment with Ford, he was awarded 8 US patents, with some filed and awarded in the Great Britain, Germany, and Japan. Zheng has been employed by FM Global since 2009 and is now a Lead Scientist. He has worked on various projects across multiple industrial areas, including wind turbines, water main pipes, PV panels, fire resistance of steel columns, commercialracks in fire, etc. Zheng used Abaqus in some of these projects for structural and heat transfer analyses.

Alan Perrault is a Senior Simulation Engineer within Doosan Bobcat North America’s simulation group and works out of their Acceleration Center in Bismarck, ND. He has received both a Master of Science and Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from North Dakota State University.

Alan has been part of Doosan Bobcat North America’s simulation group for almost 5 years. His current area of focus is underhood thermal modeling and HVAC simulation using Simulia PowerFLOW.

Dr. Shobeir Pirayeh Gar is a Technical Advisor at the Halliburton Technology Center. His areas of expertise lie in structural and computational mechanics, engineering simulation and data science, and scientific machine learning.

He earned his PhD in Structural Engineering from Texas A&M University and is currently a Professional Licensed Engineer in the state of Texas. For the past 12 years, he has been involved in analyzing complex structural and mechanical systems in the Oil and Gas industry ranging from deep-water floating platforms to downhole tools.

Throughout his career, Dr. Gar has championed the use of simulation-guided detailed design engineering. In recent years, he has focused on leveraging the combined power of physics-based and data-driven approaches for robust design optimization and product developments. He is the holder of several US Patents.

I am Symon Reza, a highly motivated and dedicated researcher in the field of biomedical engineering with a focus on computational modeling and analysis of cardiovascular systems. Currently, I am pursuing my Doctor of Philosophy degree in Biomedical Engineering at Stony Brook University. My research interests lie in the areas of biofluids, biomechanics, fluid-solid interaction (FSI), patient-specific cardiovascular modeling, and computational analysis.

I am passionate about making a positive impact in healthcare by combining computational modeling techniques with clinical knowledge. I am seeking opportunities to collaborate with industry professionals and researchers to further advance the field of cardiovascular biomechanics and contribute to the development of innovative healthcare solutions.

Thomas leverages the advanced simulation tools within the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform for his simulation consulting opportunities. Prior to adopting the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform, he brought with him over 5 years of Abaqus and finite element analysis experience. Projects of interest include the structural analysis of rotating machinery, custom simulation scripting via Python/VBA, and the occasional CFD opportunity.

Degree: BS Mechanical Engineering, University of Dayton and MS Nuclear Engineering, Air Force Institute of Technology

Chandra Subraya has 29 Years of Industry Experience, 18 Years at Boeing, 7 Years with Automotive Industry, 4 years Engineering Consulting

Expertise : Structural analysis – Aircraft and Automotive structures, Finite Element Analysis, Certification of Aircraft Structures, Model Based Engineering, Analysis Automation and Digital Transformation.
E-UM – Boeing ODA Engineering Unit Member

Education :Composite Structural analysis and Design - Certificate Program, University of Washington, Seattle WA
Master of Technology from IIT Mumbai, India
Bachelor of Engineering – NITK Surathkal - India

Saravanan Sundaramoorthy works as a Lead Elastomer Product Development and Subject Matter Expert for Managed Pressure Drilling at NOV Inc. He has over 20 years of experience in design and development of NOV's patented Non-Rotating Active Control Devices (ACD) for deepwater drilling applications, Rotating Control Devices (RCD) for land/Jack-up applications, Annular Blowout Preventers (BOP), and Isolation Valves by utilizing his expertise in Implicit/Explicit Dynamic Simulations, Hyper elasticity, Visco-plasticity, Fatigue & Fracture calculations of metallic and non-metallic materials. Saravanan has extensive experience in Managed Pressure Drilling/Underbalanced drilling, Continuous Circulation Systems, Pressure control equipment, and well control methods for deepwater drilling operations. He is involved in various automation programs to control ACD for Deepwater drilling operations, Kick/Loss detections, and the development of real-time condition-based monitoring of ACD Seal sleeves using AI-ML. Saravanan Sundaramoorthy holds a master's degree in mechanical engineering, published over 15 research/conference papers and holds 5 patents.

Coming from a successful career in the racing industry as a CFD engineer, Scott joined Kenworth Truck Company in 2015 as the Aerodynamicist responsible for a new product development cycle. Responsible for all aerodynamic development and CFD simulation for Kenworth, Scott oversees a wide range of simulation applications including external aero, soiling, acoustics, and thermal. He is passionate about using his previous experience obtained in the fast-paced, high pressure, and high performance world of automotive racing to Kenworth to help improve the product even further.

Greg Thorwald is a principal engineer at Quest Integrity in Boulder, Colorado, which is now part of Baker Hughes. He uses Abaqus finite element analysis for structural, fracture, and fatigue crack growth assessments in a variety of fitness-for-service consulting projects. He is the lead developer of the commercial FEACrack software, an automated parametric 3D crack mesh generation program creating Abaqus input files to compute crack front stress intensity and Jintegral values needed for Level 3 assessments. He also contributes to the Signal Fitness-forService software used for Level 2 fitness-for-service assessments. He is a contributing member of the API/ASME fitness-for-service committee that provides the API 579/ASME FFS engineering standard.

Henry Tuit Farquhar is currently an Aerodynamics Engineer at General Motors. In his current role, Henry has been responsible for the aerodynamic performance of various battery-electric vehicles as well as G.M.’s Aero Competitive Benchmarking. Henry joined the Aero group following his completion of the TRACK rotational program, where he completed roles as a Body Structures CAE Engineer, Induction, Exhaust, and Thermal CAE Engineer, and Performance Parts Project Engineer. Prior to joining General Motors, Henry received his B.S. in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Maryland where he was Aero Lead for Terps Racing, the university’s Formula SAE team.

Brent Vorst is a Senior Account Manager at Kinetic Vision, bridging the gap between cutting-edge research and real-world impact. He has a degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Cincinnati and started in the Modeling and Simulation group at Kinetic Vision in 2011. Brent has worked on hundreds of models during his tenure at Kinetic Vision. His expertise includes structural and dynamic simulations, thermal modeling, numerical methods and surrogate modeling, process automation, physical testing, and material characterization.

Chong Wang is a seasoned engineer with a passion for innovation in vehicle acoustics. Currently he leverages his expertise as a Senior Engineer at Noise and Vibration Center of General Motors Company, tackling challenges in vehicle acoustic analysis, design, and development. He's also at the forefront of integrating new technologies and streamlining engineering processes through quick tool development. He holds a B.S. and M.S. in acoustics from Nanjing University, China, followed by a PhD in aerospace and mechanical engineering from the University of New Soth Wales, Australia. Prior to joining GM, he honed his research skills as a Research Fellow at the Institute of Research Construction, National Research Council of Canada. His academic background began with a teaching position at Northwestern Polytechnical University, China. Dr. Wang's past experiences delve into vibro-acoustic analysis of electrical motors, speech privacy optimization in open-plan offices, and active noise control, etc. Outside of work, he indulges in his passion for music, both listening and playing, enjoys watching movies, and loves to travel.

Jerry Wong is an accomplished Senior Mechanical Engineer and adept Engineering Project Manager located in Houston, Texas, boasting a wealth of over two decades of multifaceted experience in the field. Holding a Doctorate in Mechanical Engineering from West Virginia University, Jerry is recognized for his proficiency in utilizing Abaqus to simulate a confined inflatable structure, a project funded by Homeland Security and featured in the SIMULIA Community News magazine #11 in October 2015 as an Academic Case Study Article.

As a committed professional devoted to fostering innovation and achieving excellence, Jerry's skills extend to conducting in-depth analyses and tasks using SIMULIA Abaqus as an FEA solver since 2009. He navigates the intricacies of diverse projects with precision and efficiency, ensuring optimal outcomes. Jerry's passion for design and digital twin technology is evident in his meticulous use of FEA and CFD to verify and enhance designs. Leveraging his expertise in Solidworks and Abaqus, he prioritizes both reliability and performance enhancements.

Beyond technical prowess, Jerry serves as a SIMULIA Champion, showcasing his enthusiasm for innovation. His unwavering dedication to advancing technology and addressing intricate engineering challenges positions him as an invaluable contributor to any project or team, making him an indispensable asset in the field.

Wenlong has 10 years of experience in noise and vibration. He is now the technical lead for airborne acoustics simulation in GM, leading the team to develop/enhance simulation capabilities for GM’s Vision2025 of zero prototype. Before joining GM, he worked for ESI group as a vibro-acoustics application engineer, supporting customers from different industries. Before ESI, he worked for an offshore engineering company, analyzing the noise and vibration performance for offshore rigs and ships. He is the author of 30+ papers/patents/defensive publications.

Tony DeVarco started his career in technology at Silicon Graphics, Inc. in 1999. He is currently Director, HPC and Manufacturing Vertical at Hewlett Packard Enterprise. For over 10 years, Tony has been responsible for all aspects of HPE’s HPC and Manufacturing vertical business development activities which includes its GTM strategy, sales training, competitive market analysis, ISV partner ecosystems management and CAE workflow solution enablement.

Mr. Shawn Freeman has 30+ years of experience, starting his career as a Vehicle Safety and CAE engineer consulting for General Motors, Chrysler, Mercedes, Toyota, and as an employee of Ford Motor Company. Shawn then transitioned over to CAE software development, where he held management positions at Altair Engineering and MSC Software, before joining Dassault Systèmes. In addition to vehicle safety, he has extensive experience in Simulation Data & Process Management, Engineering Services, and Custom Software Development. He is a member of the Tau Beta Pi engineering honor society, and recently completed a 4-year term as a member of the External Advisory Board for OSU's SimCenter. Shawn completed his M.S.E. in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan in 1996 and is a certified Project Management Professional.

Tim is the founder of Wolf Star Technologies, an engineering consulting and software development firm which concentrates on the efficient usage of FEA and Test Data on engineering problems. Tim brings 30 years of product development experience to his client's projects and innovative software. Tim obtained most of his product development experience at Harley-Davidson where he was Chief Engineer prior to launching Wolf Star Technologies.

Tim earned a Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Marquette University and a Master’s and Ph.D. in engineering mechanics from UW-Milwaukee.

Rick Knoechel is Global Strategy Lead for Automotive and Discrete Manufacturing for the Data Center Server BU at AMD. Prior to his current role, Rick was AMD’s Public Cloud HPC lead for all aspects of CAE HPC across all Industry Verticals. Rick joined AMD in October of 2021 after stints with Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) and Rescale.

Well versed in all aspects of Scientific HPC and General IT, Rick has worked for IT Industry leaders over the past 20+ years including time with Dell, EMC, NetApp, and IBM’s Platform Computing.

Senior Specialist for GoEngineer supporting the SOLIDWORKS Plastics simulation software and 3DEXPERIENCE Injection Engineer Role. With over 30 years’ experience in the Plastic Injection molding industry, I apply my experience and knowledge of the industry to help customers see the benefits of utilizing the tools for injection molding simulation.

Prior to starting VCollab, Prasad Mandava worked in the aerospace industry for 16 years in various capacities.
He started his career as a CAE analyst at an aero space company and then was responsible for creating the digital mock up as well as the virtual prototype of complete combat aircraft for digital studies and collaborative reviews. He won the prestigious Sir CV Raman award from the Indian Government for his contributions to the computer science and is and Industrial Advisory Board member to the NSF funded e-Design Center

Shivani manages the West Simulation Application Engineer team, which focuses on matching clients with the correct simulation products and onboarding them so that they are successful with the technology. She has worked for ten years in the value-adde reseller (VAR) channel out of Houston, Texas, primarily with clients in the oil & gas, high tech, and industrial machinery industries, focusing on large assembly performance and FEA & CFD analysis. During her time at university, she spent time with the student-built Formula Racecar team designing the clutch and gear shift systems.

In her free time you may find her on the sand volleyball court or hiking, where her highest altitude reached is 17,600 feet (her sea-level lungs were not a fan of the oxygen levels)!

Matt works as an Elite Application Engineer and Senior Simulation Product Specialist. His job is to find simulation solutions that match customer needs, and to assist them via training, mentoring, consulting, and support. His favorite part of the job is meeting customers from all different industries and backgrounds and sharing his knowledge of simulation with them. Matt’s recent focus has been on cloud simulation tools and the additional opportunities that adds for our customers.

Although Matt started at GoEngineer as a 3D printer tech and quickly made his way up the ranks to the simulation team, he still maintains an enthusiasm and love for additive manufacturing.

Jaehwan Choi got his Ph.D. degree from the Ohio State University in 2004 right before joining Abaqus, Inc. He continued to serve as technical consultant for Dassault Systèmes SIMULIA Corp. after Dassault Systèmes acquired Abaqus Inc. in 2005. He also has 10+ year experience of working as CAE engineer for Hyundai Motor Company in South Korea. He focused on the body structure strength and durability simulations when he was working for Hyundai Motor Company.

His current role is supporting Abaqus and fe-safe worldwide focusing on material modeling and calibration, and simulation method development by using Abaqus and fe-safe (and fe-safe/Rubber). His specialty is rubber and plastic material modeling and rubber fatigue assessment including rubber material modeling/calibration and fatigue testing. He is also serving co-manager role for Korea IC team from year 2023.

Tod has worked in the field of nonlinear finite element analysis for over 20 years, and has held many positions within the SIMULIA organization.  He has worked as the Engineering Services manager and later the General Manager of the Great Lakes CSE in the USA, and is now working for the SIMULIA R&D organization focusing attention on how we deliver advanced material modeling technology to our customers.

Debarun Das is an Industry Process Consultant (IPC) supporting Life Sciences & Healthcare (LS&H) and Industrial Equipment (IE) customers in the NAM region for deployment of SIMULIA’s Fluids (CFD) portfolio. As a member of NAM Industry Process Consultant (IPC) team, he is involved in pre-sales customer engagement, post-deployment support, technical account management, and presenting latest advancements in simulation technology in single-phase flow (internal, external), thermal management, particle modeling, acoustics, multiphase flow & FSI. He has Bachelors and MS degrees in Mechanical Engineering, with nearly 10 years’ experience in multiphysics, multiscale computational modeling, engaging with commercial customers and government agencies in the LS&H and IE domains.

Dr. Hicham Farid has a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Quebec, Canada, where his research focused on Fracture Mechanics. His primary interests are Material Modeling and Calibration, Fracture Mechanics, and Fatigue. Before joining Dassault Systèmes, Hicham spent 12 years working as R&D Engineer/Scientist at leading organizations in the aerospace, nuclear, and renewable energy industries.

Christina Feist is a Portfolio Director at Dassault Systèmes with product management responsibilities for Design Exploration, Process Automation, and Generative Design applications. Over her 25-year career, she has spent the last 19 years at Dassault Systèmes in various roles, including product management, strategy, and application engineering. In addition, she enjoys working with customers to leverage the value of modeling and simulation solutions. Christina holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan.

Sebastien obtained his mechanical engineering degree from EPFL in Switzerland in 2001. He began his career at MTU Aeroengines in Munich, focusing on aerodynamics and structural analysis. Later, he assumed various Technical Director roles at EXA Corp in Europe. In 2014, Sebastien became the Managing Director for the Aerospace Industry, a position he held until the integration of EXA into Dassault Systèmes in 2019. At Dassault Systèmes, he served as SIMULIA Head of Aerospace and SIMULIA GEO Leader EUROCENTRAL until July 2023, when he transitioned to the role of SIMULIA VP Sales and Marketing.

Prabu has been with Dassault Systèmes for 13 years and has been working in the North America MODSIM Technical Sales Team responsible for highlighting the value of 3DExperience MODSIM Roles in customer engagements. Before his current role in the Technical sales team, he was part of the Simulia Program office at P&G and Johnson & Johnson Ethicon working on supporting various projects, including creating simulation processes for packaging workflows for Rigid packages and Flexible pouches and deploying it to the broader designer community using our automation tools. Prabu received his Master’s in Mechanical Engineering from Ohio State University where he worked on Fiber reinforced Composite damage mechanics. He works out of our Cincinnati, OH office.

Peng Guan is a member of SIMULIA Multibody Systems & Motion worldwide technical sales team. He is responsible for Simpack Realtime Solution in North America. Before joining DS, Peng finished his PhD at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in field of Dynamics modeling and control. He published 10 peer-reviewed publication and presented his work in multiple conferences.

Juan has been working in the SIMULIA R&D organization for over 20 years. During that time he has made many contributions to the mechanics technology in Abaqus, especially in the area of constitutive modeling of materials. As leader of Materials Technology, Juan is directly involved in the long term planning and development of functionality needed to address our customers’ needs in the area of materials modeling. Currently Juan manages the Nonlinear Mechanics development team, responsible for advanced nonlinear mechanics capabilities in the Abaqus solvers.

Prior to joining SIMULIA, Juan held several positions in academic research institutions, including Professor of Continuum Mechanics at the University of Granada (Spain) and Research Associate at the Division of Engineering at Brown University (USA). Juan holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Seville (Spain) and a M.S. and Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from Northwestern University (USA).

Anup Iti is an experienced engineer working closely with customers across various industries to support and improve their conceptual design processes. Having completed a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Wayne State University, Anup has been working in the field of conceptual structural engineering for 13 years. In his current role at Dassault Systèmes, within CATIA, he manages a team of conceptual design domain experts and supports Technical Sales for the CATIA Concept Engineering solutions.

Dr. Ramji Kamakoti is the North America Modelling and Simulation Director at Dassault Systemes. He has over 20 years of experience in computational modelling and simulation focusing in areas such as fluid dynamics, structure dynamics and multi-physics in general. His team is currently responsible for leading and providing technical solutions that involves integrated simulation-based design for a variety of industries. He received his masters and PhD in Engineering Mechanics from the University of Florida.

Binu Jose Kochucheruvil is a member of the SIMULIA Multibody Systems & Motion worldwide technical sales team. He is responsible for pre-sales, services and deployment of Simpack multibody dynamics solutions. Binu has 16+ years of virtual product development and validation experience with a leading US automotive OEM, including collaboration with physical testing and simulation correlation. Binu earned his M. Eng. from University of Michigan, in the field of automotive engineering.

David Kokan is an R&D Technologies Application Director focused on design exploration applications and technologies within the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. He joined Dassault Systemes sixteen years ago with the acquisition of Engineous Software and its Isight technology. David holds a BS in aerospace engineering from Virginia Tech as well as MS and PhD in aerospace engineering from Georgia Tech.

Dr. Marlow has over 30 years of experience in the fields of engineering analysis and applied mechanics. He is a Senior Expert at Dassault Systèmes SIMULIA Corp. where he has worked for the last 24 years. Dr. Marlow is considered an expert in applications of the finite-element programs Abaqus/Standard and Abaqus/Explicit. Dr. Marlow received his MS and PhD in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics from the University of Illinois. He graduated with a BS in Engineering Mechanics from the University of Missouri-Rolla.

Harikrishnan Murali works as an Industry Process Consultant supporting the Transportation and Mobility industry within North America. He has been with Dassault Systemes for the last 6 years during which he has provide pre-sales & after sales support on software deployment for aerodynamics & thermal management. He has a Master’s degree in Aeronautics and has over 8 years of experience in the field of computational fluid dynamics.

Victor earned his PhD from Duke University in 1996 in the area of computational mechanics. He then joined what was the Abaqus R&D development in Rhode Island, which today is part DASSAULT SYSTEMES SIMULIA Corp. Victor has worked in a variety of R&D positions through the years and is today the Senior Technology Director and the Chief Scientific Officer for Structural applications. In the last few years at SIMULIA Victor has led from a simulation technology perspective a variety of multiphysics/multiscale simulation initiatives including machine learning, battery cell engineering, additive manufacturing, micro-mechanics based multiscale materials, particle methods for extreme deformation, oil and gas multiphysics formulations, realistic human simulation capabilities, co-simulation-based multi-physics modeling.

Dinesh Panneerselvam is an Industry Process Consultant Director at Dassault Systemes with the SIMULIA brand. He has been with the company for over 15 years and his background is structures with a Ph. D in Engineering Mechanics. Dinesh and his team in the technical sales organization lead technical execution of customer engagements starting from lead generation to opportunity qualification to successful implementation of simulation solutions with a focus on Hi-Tech, Aerospace & Defense and Electric Vehicle industries.

Ani Rajagopal has been working as Industry Process Consultant at SIMULIA since 2019, and joined the Worldwide Fluids team through the integration of the former Exa Corporation. With nearly 8 years of experience in fluids and thermal sciences, he serves as an expert voice in supporting customers across all industries including Industrial Equipment and Transportation & Mobility. His responsibilities within the Worldwide SIMULIA Fluids team focus on deployment of our fluids solutions to improve customer processes notably through automation.

Nick Reynolds is an Industry Process Consultant Director in North America at BIOVIA, a Dassault Systèmes, brand. He has been with the company for over 30 years, and his background is in Materials Science, with a Ph.D. in Polymer Science and Engineering. Nick’s and his team’s role is in providing scientific and technical support for Dassault Systèmes’ customers in adopting our solutions for computational materials science, formulation management, laboratory informatics, and data science, across a range of industries.

Wulf Röver holds a director position at SIMULIA and has about 25 years of experience in FEA and Multi-Body System Dynamics. Wulf worked for 12 years for FEV, an engineering consulting company, first in Germany and then in the US. During this time, he executed MBS and FEA analyses for various projects: internal combustion engines, hydraulic pumps, unconventional powertrains, driveline, and vehicle. In 2010, he joined Simpack-US to promote Simpack in North America. With the acquisition of Simpack by DASSAULT SYSTEMES, he became part of the SIMULIA brand. In his current positions, he is supporting worldwide sales for multi-body applications.

Raj is a CATIA Industry process consultant at Dassault Systemes Americas Corp. He earned his Master’s in Mechanical Engineering from Wayne State University and has 13 years of industry experience. His main area of expertise is automotive body structures. He specializes in providing solutions and services to different automotive customers in their Concept development phase using CATIA SFE CONCEPT.

After completing his PhD in Mechanical Engineering and a short tenure at Lockheed Martin, Chris joined Dassault Systèmes (HKS, Inc. at that time) as a Software Development Engineer in the Abaqus R&D organization, working on fundamental capabilities in the Abaqus solvers. From there, he took on additional leadership activities in development, strategy, and product management. Eventually, he assumed full responsibility for the Structural Simulation R&D in 2016. Today, Chris leads the global SIMULIA R&D organization within Dassault Systèmes’ global R&D.

Tamer Yanni is a member of the SIMULIA Multibody Systems & Motion worldwide technical sales team. He has been a Multibody Analyst and a Simpack user for the past 15 years, he held multiple roles at several industries including Automotive, Wind Energy, and most recently Robotics. Tamer has earned his M.Eng. degree in 2010 from Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CUICAR).

Dr. Matias G. Zielonka is a SIMULIA Industry Process Consultant with 25 years of experience as a developer, researcher, designer, and consultant in computational mechanics, multi-physics simulation, and engineering simulation software development.

In the last few years, Dr. Zielonka has specialized in driving innovation in battery development through the use of multiphysics and multiscale modeling and simulation.

Before his current role at SIMULIA, Dr. Zielonka held various roles at ExxonMobil Corporation as scientist, developer, technical lead, and technical advisor for several modeling and simulation projects. He has also served in the role of software developer at MSC Software Corporation, where he developed new capabilities for the NASTRAN solver as well as co-simulation platforms for fluid-structure interaction and multi-body dynamic analysis.

Dr. Zielonka earned his Mechanical Engineering degree from the University of Buenos Aires, and his M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Aeronautical Engineering from the California Institute of Technology.