University of Delaware Center for Composite Materials

We're proud to see UD Center For Composite Materials researcher Sagar Doshi in this story highlighting how the University of Delaware is fostering innovation and accelerating the translation of research into real-world impact.

Sagar's work on advanced wearable sensing technologies demonstrates how cutting-edge materials research can address challenges in healthcare, human performance, and beyond. Stories like this showcase the power of interdisciplinary collaboration and entrepreneurship in moving discoveries from the lab to society.

Read more below.
Link: https://brnw.ch/21x3feI

Research to real world | UDaily Supporting innovation culture on campus in the age of artificial intelligence

🏆 Achievement in Composite Excellence | 2026 UD-CCM Awards

At the Center for Composite Materials, education and mentorship remain at the heart of innovation. Each year, we proudly recognize students, researchers, staff, alumni, and visiting scholars whose contributions continue to advance the field of composite materials worldwide.

Please join us in congratulating the 2026 Achievement in Composite Excellence Award recipients:

✨ John W. Gillespie, Jr. Distinguished Alumni Award
• George Thomas

✨ Jack R. Vinson Leadership Award
• Sagar Doshi, Ph.D. (Advisors: J. M. Deitzel & J. W. Gillespie, Jr.)

✨ R. L. McCullough Scholars Award
• Tania Lavaggi, Ph.D. (Advisors: S. G. Advani & J. W. Gillespie, Jr.)

✨ Tsu-Wei Chou Composites Science & Innovation Award
• Amit M. Deshpande (Advisor: S. Pilla)

✨ Research Progress Award
• Matthew Abraham (Advisor: S. G. Advani)

✨ Outstanding Senior Award
• Rebecca Stutzman (Advisors: S. Pilla & Sai Aditya Pradeep, Ph.D.)

✨ Undergraduate Research Award
• Matthew Nichols (Advisor: S. G. Advani)

✨ Visiting Researcher Award
• Rahul Kovuru (Hochschule Kaiserslautern; Advisor: S. Pilla)

✨ Outstanding Research Staff Award
• Pavel Simacek, Ph.D. (Advisor: S. G. Advani)

✨ Directors’ Award
• Angela Anderson (Research Office)
• Sai Aditya Pradeep, Ph.D. (CCM)
• Clarissa Roth (Research Office)
• Vicky Tosh-Morelli (UD College of Engineering Communications)

These achievements reflect the strength of our community and the impact of collaborative research and education in composites science and engineering at the University of Delaware.

👏 Congratulations to all recipients for your outstanding contributions!

Calling all Blue Hengineers! 💙🐔

UD Center For Composite Materials is excited to join the University of Delaware UD College of Engineering’s annual Alumni & Friends Lawn Party!

Reconnect with fellow Hengineers, classmates, faculty, and industry friends while enjoying food, drinks, music, lawn games, and free College of Engineering swag on the front lawn of Spencer Laboratory.

📅 Friday, May 29
⏰ 5:00 – 7:00 p.m.
📍 Spencer Laboratory Front Lawn

Whether you’re a CCM alum, collaborator, student, or friend of the composites community, we’d love to see you there.

Please register for planning purposes.
Link: https://brnw.ch/21x2DvO

College of Engineering Lawn Party Calling all ! The College of Engineering invites alumni, students, faculty, staff and friends from every department to the Alumni & Friends Lawn Party on the front lawn of Spencer Laboratory. Formerly known as the MechE Family Cookout, this reimagined tradition now welcomes the full engin...

Throwback to engineering in everyday life.

CCM’s founding director, Jack R. Vinson, was a co-inventor on a snap-off blade knife design focused on improving user safety. It’s the kind of tool many of us have used, made better through careful engineering and attention to detail.

While this innovation may seem simple, it reflects a broader philosophy that guided his career: solving real-world problems and making things work better for people.

That same philosophy continues to inspire CCM today - and is carried forward through efforts like the Dr. Jack Vinson Scholarship and the new Jack R. Vinson Leadership Award.

Sometimes, the smallest innovations tell the biggest stories.

Link to patent: https://brnw.ch/21x2hvm
Make a gift to continue his impact: https://brnw.ch/21x2hvl

The UD Center For Composite Materials is advancing next-generation composite technologies, and PhD Student Michael Vo is contributing to this effort through his research on sustainable materials.

Michael’s work focuses on improving natural fiber composites by modifying the surface of fibers to enhance their performance. By studying how these treatments affect fiber properties and their interaction with surrounding materials, he aims to create stronger, more reliable, and more sustainable composite systems.

His research is part of an NSF EPSCoR project that brings together collaborators across the University of Delaware, partner universities, and industry to develop high-performance natural fiber composites. This work helps advance the connection between agriculture, material properties, and composite performance, supporting more sustainable solutions for future applications.

Michael’s research exemplifies how CCM is driving innovation at the intersection of sustainability and advanced materials.

Learn more: https://brnw.ch/21x2532

At the University of Delaware Center for Composite Materials (UD-CCM), education is our most vital contribution to the global scientific community. We believe that recognizing student excellence is more than a tradition—it is a celebration of the minds currently driving the next generation of technological breakthroughs. As our students push the boundaries of composites, their inquiry fuels innovation far beyond our halls. We are proud to formally announce the recipients of the 2026 Achievement in Composite Excellence (ACE) Awards, recognizing outstanding contributions across research, innovation, leadership and service.

We invite you to join us in celebrating these exceptional achievements on Friday, May 1, at 11:00 AM in the Composite Manufacturing Science Lab, room 106, where we will hone the following awardees.

Celebrating the Legacy of DASEF

For over 34 years, our collaboration with the DELAWARE AEROSPACE EDUCATION FOUNDATION (DASEF) has introduced K-12 to the possibilities of STEM through hands-on learning and real-world challenges.

Each summer, cadets step into CCM to take on the Space Beam Challenge—designing, building, and testing their own structures—while also getting an inside look at composites research through guided facility tours.

This program has cultivated curiosity and innovation for decades and we’re excited to continue this partnership in 2026, welcoming a new group of future innovators.

Wednesday, July 8: Evening CCM tour and Space Beam Challenge introduction

Thursday, July 9: Morning Space Beam construction

Thursday, July 9: Evening Space Beam break videos and explanations

Experiences like these don’t just teach engineering—they spark curiosity, creativity, and future careers.

UD Center For Composite Materials proudly celebrates Dr. Tania Lavaggi on the successful defense of her doctoral dissertation!

Her research, “Permeability of Carbon-Carbon Composites for the Improvement of Its Densification Process,” advances our understanding of transport properties during polymer infiltration and pyrolysis (PIP). By integrating experimental work, microstructure-informed simulations, and predictive modeling, her work helps enable more efficient and optimized composite manufacturing of carbon-carbon composites.

A special thank you to her committee:
Dr. Suresh Advani (Chair), Dr. John Gillespie, Dr. Valery Roy, and Dr. Mark Mirotznik

We’re excited to see the continued impact of her work in advanced composites. Wishing her all the best in this next chapter!

The Center for Composite Materials (CCM) is pleased to highlight Uday Kiran Balaga's recent presentation at SPE ANTEC 2026 in Pittsburgh, PA.

Under the guidance of Prof. Suresh Advani, Uday’s research is tackling one of the most persistent hurdles in composite 3D printing: interlayer delamination. The presentation, titled “Z-Penetration Deposition Approach to Strengthen Interlayers in Fiber-Reinforced Additive Manufacturing,” introduces a novel strategy to enhance interfacial properties. This approach enables tailored fiber orientation, resulting in improved structural integrity and overall part performance.

The work generated meaningful technical discussions with industry representatives, including Autodesk Australia and 3D printing industries from Canada.

These interactions underscore CCM’s role in advancing innovative, industry-relevant solutions that bridge fundamental research and real-world manufacturing applications.

Career Milestone: Nuwan Dewapriya Appointed Associate Scientist at CCM

We are proud to announce the promotion of Nuwan Dewapriya to Associate Scientist at the Center for Composite Materials. This advancement is a testament to Nuwan’s relentless pursuit of excellence and his transformative contributions to our research portfolio.

In a move that further strengthens our interdisciplinary ties, Nuwan has also been granted a secondary appointment in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. This dual role highlights his unique ability to bridge fundamental engineering principles with cutting-edge composite applications.

Nuwan’s leadership continues to drive the mission of CCM forward, and we look forward to his continued impact on the future of materials science.

Join us in congratulating Nuwan on this career milestone! 👏