Prof. Kaan Erkorkmaz
University of Waterloo
Ontario, Canada
Kaan Erkorkmaz is Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering at the University of Waterloo, which he joined in 2004 after completing his doctorate at the University of British Columbia. He is an internationally recognized expert in machine tool dynamics, feed drive and process control, multi-axis trajectory generation, precision mechatronics, and process modeling (e.g., gear cutting). His team’s research has been commercialized and is regularly being tested and adopted by leading companies in the aerospace, automotive, and machine tool industries.
Currently, Erkorkmaz serves as the principal investigator of the research consortium CANRIMT3 (Canadian Network for Research and Innovation in Machining Technology – Phase 3) funded by NSERC, Mitacs, and industry partners, and of the infrastructure project CAN-DX (Canadian Technology Accelerator for Digital Transformation of Manufacturing) funded by CFI and the provinces of Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia.
Erkorkmaz is a Fellow of the International Academy for Production Engineering (CIRP) where he serves on the Board and Council as the Technical Secretary of the academy. He is also the Vice-Chair of CIRP’s Scientific and Technical Committee on Machines (STC-M). Prior to that, he had served on the Editorial Committee of the CIRP Annals for six years.
Erkorkmaz received the Society of Manufacturing Engineering (SME) Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer Award in 2007, the Sandford Fleming Foundation Teaching Excellence Award in 2016, the August-Wilhelm Scheer visiting Professorship at the Technical University of Munich (2019-2020), and in 2022 was conferred the honorary title ‘TUM Ambassador’ by the Technical University of Munich.
Prof. Michael F. Zaeh
Free for use in reporting on TUM, with the copyright noted
Institute for Machine Tools and Industrial Management (iwb), Technical University of Munich
Munich, Germany
Prof. Dr.-Ing. M. F. Zaeh is director of the Institute for Machine Tools and Industrial Management of the Technical University of Munich (iwb). He studied mechanical engineering at the Technical University of Munich with internships at a tool-and-die manufacturer, a machine tool builder and an automotive supplier. Suggested by Professor Dr.-Ing. Joachim Milberg, his Diploma thesis was awarded the student prize of the VDW, the German machine tool builders’ association.
Michael Zaeh started his professional career in the year 1990, assuming a position as Graduate Research Assistant at the Institute for Machine Tools and Industrial Management of the Technical University of Munich (iwb), where he received his doctorate in the year 1993 with a thesis about a dynamic process model for circular sawing. From 1994 until 1995, he was head of a department under the new director of the institute, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Gunther Reinhart.
In 1996, Michael Zaeh joined Gleason-Pfauter Maschinenfabrik GmbH, a builder of machine tools for manufacturing of gears, where he worked in the research laboratory and in the design department during the first year. Later, he was promoted head of the order management department. He also was a member of the management group. From 1998 until 2002, he worked on an ERP-system-implementation project at several production sites and sales agencies of the Gleason Corporation. During that time, he stayed in Rochester, N.Y., USA, for two years and he worked also in South Korea, Great Britain, Brazil and Japan.
In the year 2002, Michael Zaeh accepted the position of full professor for machine tools and manufacturing technology. Prof. Dr. Michael Zaeh is a member of acatech, the German National Academy of Science and Engineering, of the WGP (German Scientific Society for Production Technology), of the WLT (Scientific Society of Laser Technology) as well as of several other institutions. He also holds an associated membership at CIRP (The International Academy for Production Engineering).
Prof. Hans-Christian Möhring
The Institute for Machine Tools (IfW), University of Stuttgart,
Stuttgart, Germany
Prof. Dr.‐Ing. Dr. h. c. Hans‐Christian Möhring studied mechanical engineering and achieved the Dr.‐Ing. degree at the Institute of Production Engineering and Machine Tools at the Leibniz University of Hannover. He was awarded the Otto Kienzle Medal by the German Academic Association for Production Technology (WGP) and the Dr.‐Jürgen‐Ulderup‐award as well as several best and outstanding paper awards. In 2012, H.‐C. Möhring became professor at the Otto‐von‐Guericke‐University Magdeburg and also associate member of the International Academy for Production Engineering (CIRP). Since 2017 he is the director of the Institute for Machine Tools (IfW) at the University of Stuttgart and also member of the WGP. From 2019 to 2023, H.‐C. Möhring was dean of the faculty Engineering Design, Production Engineering and Automotive Engineering of the University of Stuttgart. In 2023 he received the title of Doctor Honoris Causa of the Technical University of Cluj‐ Napoca. Since 2024, he is member of acatech, the National Academy of Science and Engineering of Germany. In 2025 Prof. Hans‐Christian Möhring became Fellow of the CIRP.
Dr. Volker Böß
Institute of Production Engineering and Machine Tools (IFW), Leibniz University
Hannover, Germany
Dr.-Ing. Volker Böß earned a degree in Mathematics, with a specialization in Computational Geometry and Computer Science from Leibniz University Hannover in 1998. Following his graduation, he worked as a PhD student at the Institute of Production Engineering and Machine Tools at the same university from 1998 to 2004.
From 2004 to 2007, he was employed at sytool, where he focused on technological databases and CAx solutions. In 2007, he was awarded a Dr.-Ing. degree by the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at Leibniz University Hannover with a doctoral dissertation entitled Tool Paths for Belt Grinding of Free Form Surfaces.
Since 2007, he has been serving as Head of CAx Development at the Institute of Production Engineering and Machine Tools at Leibniz University Hannover. In addition, he has been a lecturer in Production Engineering since 2009. Between 2013 and 2023, he also worked as a lecturer in Mathematics at Hamburg Distance Learning University.
Dr. Anders Liljerehn
AB Sandvik Coromant
Stockholm, Sweden
Anders Liljerehn joined the Metal Cutting Research Department at AB Sandvik Coromant in 2006, following the completion of his M.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering. His work has consistently focused on advancing the understanding and modeling of cutting processes, with particular emphasis on force generation, chip formation, thermal behaviour in the cutting zone, machining dynamics, and design optimization. Alongside his industrial career, he earned a Ph.D. in Structural Dynamics from Chalmers University of Technology in 2016. Today, he serves as an R&D Expert and Technology Area Manager at Sandvik Coromant, where he leads and coordinates internal and external research initiatives within cutting process modeling and machining dynamics.
Dr. Şerafettin Engin
Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp.
Quebec, Canada
Serafettin Engin is a Senior Fellow in Metal Cutting Manufacturing Technology at Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp., where he specializes in conventional advanced manufacturing technologies mainly within the aerospace sector. With over twenty-five years experience in manufacturing engineering, Dr. Engin has held roles in academia and industry, including part-time teaching positions at Concordia University and École Polytechnique Montréal over 20 years. He is also actively involved in global and national engineering organizations, serving as Secretary of the CIRP CMAG and representing PWC Manufacturing in AIA RoMan working group supported by FAA.
Dr. Tzuo-Liang (Derek) Luo & Dr. Chung-Yu (Harkat) Tai
Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI)
Taichung, Taiwan
Dr. Tzuo-Liang (Derek) Luo is a distinguished expert in intelligent manufacturing with over two decades of leadership and R&D experience. He currently serves as the Senior Consultant for the Intelligent Manufacturing Technology Division at ITRI’s Intelligent Machinery Technology Center and is the General Manager of Expetech Co. Ltd. (An ITRI spin-off company, Core business focuses on smart factories, intelligent warehousing, and ESG-related solutions)
A PhD graduate in Mechanical Engineering from National Chung Hsing University, Dr. Luo’s career is defined by high-impact leadership at ITRI, where he previously served as Division Director. His research focuses on finite element studies, high-performance machine tool design, and industrial digital transformation. Full Member of CSME, and has contributed to international academia as a Visiting Researcher at the University of British Columbia (UBC).
Dr. Luo’s contributions have been recognized with numerous prestigious honors, including the R&D 100 Award, the National Invention Award, and the CSME Outstanding Engineer Award. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Tan-Ya-Shen Industry Association, bridging the gap between advanced research and industrial application.
National Chung Hsing University
Taichung, Taiwan
Dr. Chung-Yu (Harkat) Tai is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at National Chung Hsing University (NCHU), Taiwan, where he serves as the Director of the Intelligent Manufacturing and Autonomy Laboratory. His research specializes in physics-based AI, digital twins, and machine health monitoring, with a focus on manufacturing automation and machining. Dr. Tai earned his Ph.D. from the University of British Columbia (UBC), where he also served as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Manufacturing Automation Laboratory (MAL). During his time at UBC, he contributed to the development of advanced manufacturing software systems, including SpindlePro and IntelCut. His career also includes four years as an Associate Engineer at ITRI’s Smart Machinery Technology Research Center, focusing on aerospace manufacturing. Dr. Tai’s work bridges industrial applications with academic innovation, integrating mechanical engineering laws with machine learning to enhance machine tool intelligence and reliability.
Prof. Yusuf Altıntaş
University of British Columbis
British Columbia, Canada
Yusuf Altintas is the NSERC – Pratt & Whitney Canada – Sandvik Coromant Industrial Chair Professor in Virtual Machining, founding director of Fraunhofer project in digital transformation in manufacturing, founding director of Mechatronics option and Distinguished Scholar at the University of British Columbia, and chief editor of CIRP Journal of Manufacturing Science and Technology.
Professor Altintas obtained his Bachelor from Istanbul Technical University (1975), M.Sc. (1980) from the University of New Brunswick and Ph.D. (1987) from McMaster University in Canada. He worked as a machine tool manufacturing engineer in Turkey (1977-1978), process development engineer in Pratt & Whitney Canada in Montreal (1980-1981), and the principal engineer of the Canadian Institute of Metalworking at McMaster University in Hamilton (1981-1982). He joined the University of British Columbia and founded Manufacturing Automation Laboratory in 1986. He conducts research on metal cutting, machine tool vibrations, control, and virtual machining. He has published over 210 archival journal and 100 conference articles with about ~37,200 citations and h index of 99 (https://scholar.google.ca/citations?user=XCvgWG8AAAAJ&hl=en), and a widely used textbook “Manufacturing Automation: Principals of Metal Cutting Mechanics, Machine Tool Vibrations and CNC Design. 1st ed. 2000, 2nd ed.:2012 with Chinese (2003) and Turkish (2017) Editions. His research laboratory created advanced machining process simulation (CUTPRO), virtual part machining process simulation (MACHPRO) and open-modular 5 axis CNC system (Virtual CNC), which are used by over 300 companies and research centers in the field of machining and machine tools worldwide.
Professor Altintas is a fellow of Royal Society of Canada, National Academy of Engineering (NAE) – USA, National Academy of Science and Engineering (ACATECH), CIRP, ASME, SME, CAE, EC, Tokyo University, P&WC, AvH and ISNM. He received Pratt & Whitney Canada’s (P&WC) university partnership (1997), APEG BC’s Meritorious Achievement (2002), APEG BC R.H. McLachlan (2010), UBC Killam Teaching Prize of Engineering (2011), Gold Medal of Engineers Canada (2011), SME Albert M. Sergent Progress Award (2012), NSERC Synergy Award, ASME Blackall Machine Tool and Gage best journal paper award, the special scientific award of Republic of Turkey in Science and Engineering (2013), Georg Schlesinger Production Engineering Award (Berlin, 2016), and ASME William T. Ennor Manufacturing Technology Award (USA, 2016). He holds an Honorary Doctorate Degrees from Stuttgart University (2009) and Budapest University of Technology (2013), and holds Honorary Professor title from BEIHANG University in Beijing. He was the past president of CIRP (International Academy of Production Engineering Researchers) for the term 2016 – 2017. He is also the founding president of MAL Manufacturing Automation Lab. Inc. (www.malinc.com) which develops virtual machining technology.
Prof. René Mayer
École Polytechnique de Montréal
Quebec, Canada
Prof. Mayer, authoring as J.R.R. Mayer, received a B.Eng. in Mechanical Engineering from Polytechnique Montréal in 1983 and a Ph.D. from the University of Surrey (England) in 1988 on laser tracking instruments development for industrial robot dynamic position measurement. After tenure at the University of Surrey in 1992, he joined Polytechnique Montréal in 1993 where he teaches and conducts research in manufacturing metrology. He is director of the Virtual Manufacturing Research laboratory (6 M$) that he established in 2002 and is currently upgrading this facility (1.8 M$). He has active collaborations with the Canadian aerospace and machine tool industry as well as local and international academics. His main interests are machine precision and part dimensional metrology. He is a Fellow of CIRP (2022), IMechE (2012) and ISNM (2024).
Prof. Stephen C. Veldhuis
McMaster University
Ontario, Canada
Dr. Stephen Veldhuis is a Professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department at McMaster University. Through his activity at the MMRI, he has worked with many researchers and industrial partners on leading edge manufacturing processes and technologies to realize high performing products made from difficult to process materials, with complex geometries, tight tolerances, and exceptional surface quality.
His areas of interest include continuous improvement through lean initiatives targeting tooling improvements, process development/optimization, condition-based monitoring and process performance assessment strategies. Research leverages material characterization and property assessment tools, Industry 4.0 technologies such as sensor integration involving industrial Internet of Things (iIOT) and Private 5G wireless communications, data collection and storage, data processing and advanced analytics involving Artificial Intelligence (AI) / Machine Learning (ML). These technologies are applied to realize higher levels of digitization on the shop floor to drive better decision making, specifically targeting productivity, quality and cost while facilitating innovation.
Dr. Keivan Ahmadi
University of Victoria
British Columbia, Canada
Dr. Keivan Ahmadi is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Victoria (UVic). He earned his PhD from the University of Waterloo in 2012, followed by a postdoctoral position at the University of British Columbia’s Manufacturing Automation Lab. In 2014, Dr. Ahmadi joined Pratt and Whitney Canada’s Manufacturing Technology Development team as an industrial postdoctoral researcher. He joined UVic in 2015. His research interests lie in dynamics and vibrations, with a focus on machine tool vibrations and chatter.
Dr. Jihyun Lee
University of Calgary
Alberta, Canada
Dr. Jihyun Lee is an expert in manufacturing, mechatronics, artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and sensors, and has contributed her expertise to the aerospace, automotive, and oil industries. Her research is directly related to improving manufacturing performance and automation based on robots and sensors. Her research has resulted in multiple journal papers. Dr. Lee serves as the PI for many domestic and international research projects for robotic systems, manufacturing automation, and sensors. Dr. Lee has collaborated with many industry partners in Canada and Korea. Dr. Lee received a B.S. from Yonsei University and an MS.c & Ph.D. from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. After graduation, she worked for 2.5 years as a senior researcher in the department of ultra-precision machines and systems at the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials in Korea, where she contributed to manufacturing and mechatronics. She joined the University of Calgary in 2019 and currently serves as an associate professor with tenure in the Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering. She is an alumna of the Annaboyksen Fellowship at TUM-IAS in Germany and is currently an Alexander von Humboldt Fellow for Experienced Researchers at Technische Universität München in Germany.
