SIMULIA Regional User Meeting — EuroCentral 2026

Paweł Bajerski (member, NAFEMS, SIMULIA Champion 2026) has over 15 years of experience in engineering, research and numerical simulations of electrotechnical products. He currently is the Simulation Specialist and R&D Team Leader of simulations experts at ABB Corporate Technology Center in Poland. He is also a member of NAFEMS organization and holds a master’s degree in mechanical engineering. His responsibilities include electrodynamic, seismic, environmental, polymer thermal ageing and plastic processing analyses using finite element methods. Paweł is currently pursuing Ph. D in Mechanical Engineering.

Dr.-Ing. Jan Biermann, born in 1977 in northeastern Germany, began his professional path with a vocational training in banking before studying Mechanical Engineering at the Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH). As a DAAD scholar, he spent an academic year at the University of Waterloo, Canada, where he was honored as an Academic All Canadian. He completed his diploma in theoretical mechanical engineering at TUHH.
He subsequently pursued a PhD at the Institute for Modeling and Computation at TUHH, specializing in numerical acoustics. During this time, he also worked as a visiting researcher and DAAD scholar at the Department of Mathematics at Virginia Tech (USA), focusing on numerical iterative solvers for large-scale systems of equations. His doctoral thesis addressed efficient numerical procedures for large exterior acoustic problems.
In 2011, Jan joined BMW AG, where he initially became responsible for the acoustics of HVAC systems in complete vehicles. In this role, he introduced several innovative methods, including perception based psychoacoustic target setting, intensity based vibro-acoustic measurement techniques, and aero-acoustic computation based virtual product development. Since 2023, he has been part of BMW’s drivetrain development division, leading method development for electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) simulations of electric drive units.
Alongside his engineering career, Jan completed a Master’s degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) at Ludwig Maximilians University Munich in 2022, with a meta philosophical thesis on value theory. Outside of his professional work, sports play a central role in his life. As a former semi professional volleyball player, he remains active as a senior national level beach volleyball competitor.

Abolhasan Giashi is a mechanical engineer specializing in advanced simulation and composite materials, with over 13 years of experience in finite element method (FEM) simulations, including extensive use of SIMULIA software. He views simulation engineering not only as a tool to improve performance and efficiency, but also to support sustainable development and improve everyday life.

In his current role as a simulation engineer at SIG Combibloc — one of the world’s leading packaging brands — he develops FEM models for packaging processes, material optimization, product development, filling machine design, and process improvement. His work focuses on enhancing performance and sustainability through simulation-driven insights, reducing development time, material waste, and production costs while bridging research and industrial application.

He holds a Master’s degree in Computational Engineering from TU Dresden, with a focus on numerical modeling and polymer and rubber mechanics. He also completed his Ph.D. through an industrial collaboration between TU Dresden and SIG Combibloc, focusing on the numerical and experimental analysis of packaging composite materials and converting processes.

Over the past decade, he has applied simulation methods to deliver efficient and practical solutions in the packaging industry. He is committed to developing eco-efficient packaging technologies that reduce CO₂ emissions, minimize material usage, and ensure high product quality and functionality.

• Oliver Hofmann works in powertrain simulation at the BMW Group, with a background in structural dynamics and multi‑body simulation.
• He holds a PhD from the Technical University of Munich, with a background in mechanical system simulation, model identification, and nonlinear control.
• His current focus is the virtual validation of electric machines, building a consistent data foundation on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform.
• He drives the integration of MODSIM workflows to connect modeling, simulation, and validation for scalable, data‑driven development.

• Timo Schmidt works in the IT division of the BMW Group, focusing on virtual vehicle development.
• He holds a PhD from the University of Hanover, with a background in tribological and mechanical simulations.
• He is currently responsible for BMW’s internal project regarding the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform Simulation (PLASIM).
• The focus of this project lies on the integration of MODSIM workflows as well as the connectivity of existing CAE simulation toolchains.

Born in South India with a lifelong passion for mathematics, science, and computing, Harsha Singanamalla has always been drawn to the convergence of hardware and software development. He earned his Bachelor of Technology in Mechanical Engineering before moving to Europe in 2015 to pursue a Master of Science in Design and Engineering at the Politecnico di Milano. It was during his master’s thesis—focused on advanced voxel-based modeling and structural design—that he first began leveraging Simulia and Abaqus, establishing a strong foundation in CAD and CAE methodologies that he has cultivated over the past nine years.

Harsha’s journey with Henkel Consumer Brands in Düsseldorf began as an intern in 2017, leading to a full-time role in 2018. Over the past seven years in the packaging industry, he has navigated diverse positions, from Design to Value to serving as a Packaging Engineer for major retail hair color brands. In 2023, he transitioned into his current role as Manager of Predictive Modeling, a position that perfectly aligns with his technical passions. In this capacity, he drives strategic initiatives to integrate virtual testing into the global packaging development lifecycle, actively developing models to evaluate early concepts and engineer late-stage rigid plastics for mass production.

Operating at the dynamic intersection of technology and product development, Harsha champions the perspective that organizations can leapfrog traditional development timelines by strategically adopting mature digital tools. His efforts ensure the creation of value-driven, structurally robust, and sustainable packaging. Looking ahead, he is deeply passionate about accelerating this digital transformation further by leveraging AI and machine learning techniques, exploring intelligent, automated workflows to continuously push the boundaries of packaging innovation.

• PhD in powertrain acoustics at BMW Group (3 years)
• Simulation expert with a focus on optimization of powertrain components (3,5 years)
• Specialist in the digitalization of development processes in the body-in-white domain (since 3 years)