SME announced the 2025 Shiv Kapoor Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer Awardees. Since 1980, SME has recognized manufacturing engineers, age 35 or younger, who have made exceptional industry contributions throughout the early stages of their careers.

The 2025 award namesake is longtime SME member Shiv Kapoor, PhD. Kapoor serves as the Grayce Wicall Gauthier Chair Emeritus and Professor Emeritus in the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering.

Callie Higgins, Ph.D. 
Additive Manufacturing Program Coordinator and Photopolymer Additive Manufacturing Project Leader, National Insititute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Boulder, Colorado 

Callie Higgins, Ph.D. is the Materials Measurement Laboratory’s CHIPS Program and Additive Manufacturing Program coordinator at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Boulder, Colorado. She is also co-project leader of the Photopolymer Additive Manufacturing (PAM) Project. In 2021, her collaborative work with co-project leader Jason Killgore earned the SAMMIES Award for Emerging Leaders, one of the federal government’s highest honors. Higgins earned her doctoral degree in electrical, computer, and energy engineering from the University of Colorado Boulder, specializing in optics and materials science.  

 

 

Elham Mirkoohi, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor,  
Auburn University,  
Auburn, Alabama

Elham Mirkoohi, Ph.D.’s research focuses on manufacturing, mechanical engineering, materials science, and computer science. She has pioneered novel physics-informed AI methods for in-situ monitoring and quality assurance in additive and cold-spray manufacturing. Mirkoohi was previously a postdoctoral research associate at the Georgia Institute of Technology, where she also served as the executive coordinator of the Novelis Innovation Hub. She earned her doctoral degree in mechanical engineering from Georgia Tech, following a master’s degree from Oregon State University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Tehran. Mirkoohi has authored more than 40 journal and conference papers in advanced manufacturing.

 

Erik Huemiller, Ph.D. 
Senior Researcher 
General Motors 
Troy, Michigan

Erik Huemiller, Ph.D., is a senior researcher in the Materials and Manufacturing Systems Research Lab at General Motors, where he has worked since 2020. His current work focuses on electric vehicle manufacturing challenges, specifically battery manufacturing process improvements and quality verification system development. He leads interdisciplinary projects aimed at developing and deploying industry-first manufacturing and quality systems. This work builds on his prior experience in advancing the state of the art in mechanical ruling of X-ray diffraction gratings and low-noise electrical measurements of superconducting devices. Huemiller earned a bachelor’s degree from Gustavus Adolphus College and a doctoral degree in physics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. SME Member Since 2021

 

Farhad Ghadamli 
Manufacturing and Process Development Engineer 
TE Connectivity 
Katy, Texas 

Farhad Ghadamli is a mechanical engineer with significant technical contributions to the field of additive manufacturing (AM). His work has advanced AM technologies and processes through collaboration with OEMs and large corporations adopting AM technology. Ghadamli has a passion for leadership and a drive to support the U.S. manufacturing sector. He obtained a master’s and bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Davis. Ghadamli was named to SME’s 30 Under 30 Future Manufacturing Leaders in 2015 and received the 2021 SME Aubin AM Case Study Award. SME Member Since 2012

 

Fred M. Carter III
Head of Research and Development 
DMG MORI Advanced Solutions 
Hoffman Estates, Illinois

Fred M. Carter III is the head of research and development at DMG MORI Additive Solutions, where he leads a team of engineers focused on advancing additive manufacturing machine tools. Carter is also a Ph.D. candidate at Northwestern University. He has worked on a range of metal additive manufacturing technologies, including fluid process modeling, process control, and mechanical and material characterization. He has contributed extensively to the field through academic publications in additive manufacturing. SME Member Since 2024

 

 

Jiewu Leng, Ph.D.
Professor 
Guangdong University of Technology 
Guangzhou, China

Jiewu Leng, Ph.D.’s research interests include smart manufacturing systems, digital twin-based manufacturing, resilient systems, and mass individualization. He earned both his bachelor’s and doctoral degrees in mechanical engineering from Chang’an University and Xi’an Jiaotong University, China, in 2011 and 2016, respectively. He is a grantee of the Outstanding Youth Fund of Guangdong Province, China, and has been recognized as an Elsevier Highly Cited Chinese Researcher since 2021. Leng has served as associate editor for IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics: Systems, Journal of Intelligent Manufacturing, and Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part B: Journal of Engineering Manufacture. He has won three first prizes of the Provincial Science and Technology Award in China. SME Member Since 2024

 

Maithri Venkat
Battery Cell Engineering Manager 
Lucid Motors 
Newark, California

Maithri Venkat leads battery cell selection and qualification for Lucid Motors' Gravity SUV platform. She also manages the Battery Cell Lifetime and Parameterization engineering team, driving advancements in battery technologies. Venkat’s expertise spans cell material evaluation, performance optimization, and new product introduction. At Lucid Motors, she established the company’s first battery inspection lab, implementing quality control systems and scalable protocols to enhance cell reliability and production efficiency. Previously, she contributed to high-energy cell development at XALT Energy, benchmarking cell designs and collaborating with leading OEMs and national laboratories on U.S. ABC 12V start/stop battery programs. Venkat earned her master’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor and her undergraduate degree from the National Institute of Technology-Trichy.

 

Shane Whitaker 
Applications Engineer Staff  
Lockheed Martin Aeronautics 
Bethesda, Maryland

Shane Whitaker is a staff robotic applications engineer at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, where he is the technical lead for Agile Automation & AI for Manufacturing within the Manufacturing Technology team. Whitaker began his career at Lockheed Martin in 2016 on the F-35’s Software Configuration Management and later transitioned to manufacturing systems. Since joining the Manufacturing Technology team in 2018, his primary implementations include a mobile collaborative robotic system for coating inspections and a mobile robotic sanding system. Whitaker’s research focuses on delivering mobile manipulation systems for high-mix, low-volume manufacturing environments. He holds a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington and a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from New Mexico State University. SME Member Since 2024

 

Sheng Yang, Ph.D. 
Assistant Professor  
University of Guelph 
Guelph, Ontario 

Sheng Yang, Ph.D. received his doctoral degree from McGill University in 2019. His research focuses on the application of digital twin technology and artificial intelligence to improve resilience, sustainability, and efficiency in manufacturing systems, additive manufacturing systems, mass personalization, and agricultural systems. Yang has authored over 50 peer-reviewed articles in leading design and manufacturing journals. His work has received funding from agencies like NSERC, DND, SSHRC, OMAFA, OCI, Mitacs, and industrial partners. He has received several awards, including the CSME Best Student Paper Award in 2024, and the CEPS Assistant Professor Research Excellence Award in 2023.

 

Trevor G. Aguirre, Ph.D. 
Associate R&D Staff Scientist  
Oak Ridge National Laboratory 
Oak Ridge, Tennessee

Trevor G. Aguirre, Ph.D. joined Oak Ridge National Laboratory in October 2020 as an Alvin M. Weinberg Distinguished Staff Fellow in the Extreme Environments Materials Process Group in the Manufacturing Science Division. His research focuses on the development of ultra-high-temperature ceramics with enhanced performance by combining additive manufacturing with material synthesis. Aguirre holds two associate degrees in engineering and mathematics from Western Nebraska Community College (2010), a bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degree in mechanical engineering from Colorado State University. He is a member of the American Ceramic Society, ASM International, and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers. SME Member Since 2024