Former MIT postdoctoral fellow and NSERC Award Holder, Mahdi Takaffoli, started his new position at UBC in early January as the Research Engineer for the Materials and Manufacturing Research Institute. The institute brings together expertise, world-class facilities and centres from both campuses to explore innovative ideas in five core areas within the fields of materials and manufacturing.
“What drew me to this exciting role was the opportunity to work collaboratively in a multi-disciplinary environment” says Takaffoli. With a background in mechanical engineering, Takaffoli was exposed to advanced materials science and polymer engineering during his post doctorate research, investigating novel soft biomaterials and 3D-printed composites. “During my research at MIT, I became really passionate about the inter-disciplinary research opportunities and potential applications of emerging materials and manufacturing technologies, and I am now looking forward to contributing to and advancing these areas by facilitating collaborative work among the great researchers we have here at UBC and other institutions in Canada.”
Takaffoli spent the last year in Vancouver where he was a sessional instructor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering on the Point Grey campus of UBC. “I very much enjoyed working with students and through my interaction with the research community, I learnt how prominent researchers endeavour to make UBC a place of discovery and innovation for the benefit of Canada and the world. “
Apart from his experience in academia, Takaffoli worked in the automotive industry as a lead structural analyst engineer. “I plan on leveraging that experience to build impactful partnerships between our research institute and industry.”
Takaffoli completed his PhD at Ryerson University in 2012; investigating deformation and damage of ductile metals in abrasive jet machining. Mahdi is already hard at work writing team-based grant proposals in collaboration with government and industrial sectors, and instituting the framework for research activities within MMRI across both campuses. The institute has plans to coordinate frequent networking meetings in Kelowna and Vancouver commencing in the next couple of months. For more information about the Materials and Manufacturing Research Institute and its upcoming events and opportunities visit www.mmri.ubc.ca.