2025 ACIS Presenters & Honorees
(Host) Dr. Waruna Seneviratne, director, WSU/NIAR ATLAS
Waruna Seneviratne is the Director of the Advanced Technologies Lab for Aerospace
Systems (ATLAS) at WSU/NIAR and manages a research portfolio that includes projects
from the FAA, DoD, DHS, NASA, and aircraft industry in the areas of advanced manufacturing
and inspections, durability and damage tolerance, certification, and aging of composite
aircraft structures.
Eric Hein, director of strategy & product development, WSU/NIAR
Eric Hein is Director of Strategy & Product Development at the National Institute
for Aviation Research (NIAR), where he leads long-term strategic planning and advanced
product initiatives. With over 20 years of experience in aerospace engineering, research
& development, and defense program leadership—most recently as Vice President of Defense
Programs at Spirit AeroSystems—he brings deep expertise in bridging innovation and
operational execution. Eric holds both a B.S. and M.S. in Aerospace Engineering from
Wichita State University, and serves on the board of the American Red Cross of South
Central and Southeast Kansas.
Nicky Aversa, vice president of automation & robotics, Airbus
Nicky Aversa is the Vice President of Automation & Robotics at Airbus, leading the
company’s strategic efforts to integrate cutting-edge robotics, automation, and digital
technologies across aerospace operations. Based in Toulouse, he guides innovation
initiatives to improve manufacturing throughput, quality, and safety. Nicky is frequently
invited as a keynote speaker on topics such as high-rate automation, emerging technologies,
and the human-centered role of robotics in industry. He also contributes to technical
research in aerospace systems and morphing structures.
Joe Baldwin, manager of educational group and senior sales specialist, Dassault Systèmes
Joe Baldwin is part of Dassault Systèmes’ leadership in educational initiatives and
systems integration, working to connect industry and academia through advanced digital
engineering tools. He has held roles including Senior Sales Representative for SIMULIA,
focusing on collaboration and simulation on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. Joe actively
supports programs such as the ones at WSU, where Dassault Systèmes technologies are
helping shape the next generation of engineers.
Jose Esquivel, tech leader, DELMIA Innovation Center
Jose Esquivel is a leader within the DELMIA Innovation Center at Dassault Systèmes,
serving as Technical Leader and working to drive forward automation, process modeling,
and innovation in manufacturing systems. He has been involved in connecting academic
research and industrial applications via DELMIA’s platform tools.
Thorsten Groene, CEO and co-founder, Cevotec
Thorsten Groene is the CEO and Co-Founder of Cevotec, where he leads strategic direction
and operations of their advanced composite automation technologies, especially their
Fiber Patch Placement (FPP) systems. Under his leadership, Cevotec has advanced innovations
in automated composite manufacturing, collaborating with industry and research institutions
to push the boundaries of high-performance, lightweight structures.
Dr. Robert Yancey, business development director, Hexcel Corporation
Dr. Robert Yancey has filled numerous roles in his career including research, technology
development, sales, management, business development, and executive roles. He currently
leads business development for Hexcel in the Americas across all product lines. He
has a technical background in composite materials, composite mechanics and micromechanics,
design optimization, additive manufacturing, finite element modeling, and nondestructive
evaluation. He holds a B.S. degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics from MIT, an M.S.
degree in Engineering Mechanics from Virginia Tech, and a Ph.D. in Materials Engineering
from the University of Dayton. He is the SAMPE Technical Excellence Chair and an AIAA
Associate Technical Fellow.
Dr. Alejandro Rodriguez, head of applications development, Syensqo's Composite Materials
Global Business Unit
Alejandro Rodriguez is the Head of Applications Development (Americas) for Syensqo’s
Composite Materials Global Business Unit. In this role, he oversees the development,
maturation, and implementation of composite processes and new material applications
for the Aerospace and Defense industry. With over 20 years of experience in the composite
materials sector, Alejandro has led the advancement of new materials and processing
technologies, provided technical support to customers, and managed both industry and
government-funded projects. Alejandro has held several technical leadership roles
within Customer Engineering and Research & Innovation. He holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical
Engineering from Wichita State University.
Barry Meyers, vice president, Toray Advanced Composites (TAC) Expert Services
Barry is the Vice President of Toray Advanced Composites (TAC) Expert Services team
of engineers and technicians which provides support internally and externally to facilitate
the adoption and use of both thermoset and thermoplastic materials across many diverse
industries and applications. Expert Services provide material development, testing,
qualifications, process development and after sales service. Barry has a BSME from
California Polytechnique at San Luis Obispo followed by 39 years in the materials
and processes profession with 28 years of leadership at TAC and now 20 years of thermoplastic
materials and processes.
Peter Levesque, applications engineering parts manager, Victrex
Ed Wenzel manages activity within the Advanced Development Group at Inteva Products.
He is focused on the development and growth of advanced stitching technologies within
the automotive and aerospace markets. He has an extensive background in material,
process and equipment development for automotive interior and exterior applications
and experience in low pressure injection molding, thermoplastic LFT compression molding
(LFT-G & LFT-D), long fiber injection molding and non-woven compression forming process
technologies. Wenzel received a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from North Carolina
State University and M.S. in Material Science Engineering from the University of Michigan.
Not Pictured:
Victoria Hutten, senior composite materials & processes engineer, Lockheed Martin
Victoria Hutten is a Senior Composite Materials & Processes Engineer at Lockheed Martin,
specializing in composite design, manufacturing, and materials process development.
With expertise in advanced composites and structural systems, she supports high-performance
aerospace applications and collaborates across engineering teams to deliver lightweight,
resilient solutions.
Nobi Kawamura, project manager, Joby Aviation
Nobi Kawamura is a project manager at Joby Aviation with strong experience in materials
engineering and advanced composites. He has a background in developing carbon fiber
reinforced plastic (CFRP) structures and processes, including in collaboration with
Toyota and other aerospace partners, to support manufacturing innovation for electric
vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.
Edoardo Depase, global head of marketing & new business development for composite
materials, Syensqo
Edoardo Depase is the Global Head of Marketing & New Business Development for Composite
Materials at Syensqo, where he leads efforts to expand market reach, drive innovation,
and support aerospace, defense, and industrial applications. He joined the company
in 2010 and has held roles in engineering, applications, sales, and business development,
giving him deep domain expertise bridging technology and commercial deployment. Before
that, he worked in manufacturing and R&D roles at Boeing (on the 787 program) and
at Ferrari Formula 1 in composite production. He holds an M.Sc. in Chemical Engineering
from the University of Padova and an MBA and master’s in Chemical Engineering from
the University of Washington.
Damon Call, director of technical services, Toray
Damon is the Director of Technical Services leading a team of engineers and scientists
to solve customer issues and research solutions for future customer demands. With
over 20 years of experience in composites - 15 at Toray - he has been involved in
all aspects of the business delivering high performance materials and innovative technologies
to our customers. His personal focus is composites automation to understand the relationship
between the materials and processes required for next generation composite structures
produced at high rates.