Ph.D. Graduates

□   Nicolas Olmedo developed dynamic wheel-soil interaction models and developed and deployed soil characterization tooling as part of a project to deploy and demonstrate a robotic system to characterize soft tailings deposits and other water-saturated terrains. He has been Chief Technology Officer of Copperstone Technologies and has now joined MDA Robotics and Space Operations team in Brampton ON as a Senior MTS in Guidance, Navigation, and Control for lunar rover development.
□   Nima Yousefi developed methods for fault diagnosis on a time-varying mechanism, using an excavator as a case study, including different machine faults, with modeling and experimental aspects. Nima was previously with the DEI Group, a US condition monitoring firm. He is now with Lucid Motors to lead the team building their EV on-board Health Management System in Newark California.
□   Rezsa Farahani applied structured analysis for system models of maintenance decision-making in a simulation that allows risk evaluation for different scenarios. Rezsa is a machine learning engineer with Google Research in the Bay area.
□   Reza Sabbagh developed a new parametric method for evaluating the performance of hydrocyclones, and gained insights into how to assess wall interactions, which can lead to phenomenological models of abrasive wear (co-supervised with DS Nobes). Reza has been a thermo-fluids Research Associate at U of A with Prof Nobes; and he is Chief Executive Officer at iClassifier.
□   Aida Rezaei developed a novel method for gear tooth crack condition monitoring, with experimental verification (co-supervised with RJ Anderson at Queen’s University). She is lead Mechatronics Engineer with Danfoss Turbocor in Tallahassee FL.
□   Ahmed Fotouh characterized hemp composites, and modeled their structural constitutive relationships (co-supervised with Dr John Wolodko). Ahmed is Corporate Quality Director with
Acuren in Wisconsin.
□   Cesar Poveda developed a new sustainability index for large industrial projects, based on conventions such as LEED, using oil sands as a case study. Cesar teaches at University of Moncton.
□   Christina Seidel developed methods for methods for improving how policy makers make economic and environmental impact decisions based on life cycle assessment, by assessing the value and environmental impacts of materials that can be burned for fuel, converted for other uses (with an energy and emissions impact), or disposed in landfill. Christina is a consultant with Sonterra.
□   Joanne Phillips compared different methods of technology foresighting with an emphasis on methods that can be used by small and medium sized organizations (co-supervised with RJ Hawkins of U Calgary). Joanne is Vice President – Engineering at Jay Gee Projects Ltd in Calgary.
□   Rashid Hakkim examined innovation strategies for energy companies.
□   Phil Michailides examined how different groups within an organization become personally engaged with corporate social responsibility. He is Vice President, Operations at Dynamic Risk Assessment Systems, Inc. in Calgary.
□   Markus Timusk investigated operating mode classification, novelty detection, and fault classification on machinery operating in non-steady-state conditions (co-supervised at Queen’s University with Prof. C.K. Mechefske). Markus is a Professor at Laurentian University.

M.Sc. Graduates

□ Audrey Fotso developed fault models for underground electric power cable systems and evaluating potential non contact condition monitoring methods using impedance spectrometry. Audrey successfully defended her thesis in January 2024; and she is now a reliability engineer in training with CNRL.

□ Iraban Turjo investigated how a health and usage management system can enhance the safety and reliability of unpiloted aerial systems, including a proof-of-concept health and usage management system, and related commercialization strategies. Iraban successfully defended his thesis in September 2023, and is now a project manager with Powell.

□ Rijesh Augustine developed a visual serving method for deploying machine condition monitoring sensors from a UAV for remote inspections of machine health. Rijesh successfully defended his thesis in September 2023. Rijesh most recently was electronic design lead at Copperstone Technologies, and is now an engineering entrepreneur with Mylonics.

□ Aungshula Chowdury investigated how to make drone-based remote inspection systems more reliable through structured analysis, failure mode and effects in different operating conditions, and risk assessment to identify controls. Aunghsula successfully defended her thesis in August 2023. Aunghsula is now a project manager with Powell.

□ Jagbir Kullar investigated reliability models for underground electric power cables and related condition monitoring methods to improve asset integrity. Jagbir successfully defended his thesis in November 2022 and is a reliability engineer with Epcor.

□ Caleb Dyck developed a lean design process employing dynamic models and control methods for cable-driven dredging systems for automated treatment of fluid fine tailings. Caleb defended his dissertation in November 2022. He is Chief Engineer for Canada Pump and Power.

□ Priyanka Arora applied risk models and real options for maintenance planning with applications to shutdowns of energy production systems and airline maintenance. Priyanka defended her dissertation in January 2022.

□ Haroldo Kawakami investigated abrasive wear mechanisms in fluid systems and how acoustic emissions might be used to assess damage rate as a real-time wear diagnostic. Haroldo successfully defended his dissertation in Fall 2021.

□ Zhounan Li successfully defended his MSc in March 2021 on developing new methods for mining shovel diagnostics and automated control, including designing test apparatus for scalable fault modeling. He now works in R&D for ENA2, a robotics start-up in Calgary.

□  Mark Sherstan successfully defended his thesis in Dec 2020 on contact dynamics of docking a UAV for automated sampling of gearbox lubricants. He was a controls design engineer for Pegasus Imagery, an Edmonton-based autonomous drone company, and is now with Apple in Boulder CO.

□  Javier Barrios successfully defended his thesis on comparative assessment of pipeline leak detection methods, which entailed significant apparatus development. He now works in NDT.

□  Chunyan Jiang successfully defended her MSc on modelling abrasive wear in centrifugal pumps, which included an accelerated wear study using polymeric materials.

□  Mohammad Riazi successfully defended his thesis on applied machine learning techniques for automated diagnostics in nonlinear, time-varying systems, with applications to belt driven equipment. He also developed comparative methods for evaluating hybrid fault detection methods. He is a Senior Manager in Data Science for AltaML in Edmonton (co-supervised with O Zaiane).

□  Rodrigo Hernandez characterized temperature dependence of candidate gasket materials in dynamic sealing applications for pneumatic brakes on rail cars. He has been an Operations Support Specialist at TechnipFMC and a field technician with Copperstone.

□  Dominika (Juhaszova) Dubinsky developed methods for assessing the conditional risk and comparing the equivalence of different fault detection methods for rail car air brake faults. She defended her thesis successfully and now works with CP Rail as a Manager leading the broken rail reliability program.

□  Sally Mattar evaluated risk models for new technology investments, applying real options valuation to the problem of how to assess the value of a new technology using risk-based decision making, with applications to new sensing systems and advanced materials. Sally was a Senior Associate with Deloitte in Calgary and now works with Copperleaf, still in asset management and reliability programs.

□   Stephen Dwyer developed an agile design project methodology for small teams developing mechatronic systems. Stephen is a systems engineer with NovAtel Networks in Calgary.

□   Roya Vaghar Anzabi developed new methods for detecting geometric faults in deformable bodies, with applications to condition monitoring of haul truck tires, developed a fault detection method, verified it with a finite-element model and expressed it as a reduced-order parametric model. (co-supervised with DS Nobes). Roya then worked as a Research Associate with our group. She is now an Integrity Reliability Engineer with Stantec in Edmonton.
□   Azadeh Shadkar modeled the reliability of rail wheel wayside detector systems, and developed methods for determining whether anomalous sensor readings are due to sensor faults or actual faults on a train. Azadeh is a reliability engineer in Vancouver.
□   Jamie Yuen developed and tested a proof-of-concept unmanned aerial system for detecting leaks in pipelines using georectified hyperspectral measurements.  (NSERC CGS scholarship). Jamie is now President of Copperstone Technologies, a robotics and embedded systems company in Edmonton.
□   Mohammad Hajizadeh applied Kalman filtering and particle filtering techniques to anomaly detection in time-varying systems, with a focus on mobile mining equipment. He is Reliability Engineering Superintendent for De Beers in Calgary.
□   Azadeh Seif modeled the reliability of open-pit mining equipment, and developed a relationship for assessing the risk of equipment condition affecting emissions. She is a reliability engineer with the City of Halton Hills (co-supervised with Amit Kumar)
□   Shaina Mahajan analyzed and streamlined processes for analytical measurement of core samples, with recommendations for automation. She works in Business Insights & Analytics at AWS in Toronto.
□   Spencer Taunber developed a simple parametric method for predicting the performance of an in-situ steam-assisted gravity drainage process using relationships between in-situ oilsands reservoir characteristics and production performance in a range of operating conditions. He is Lead Engineer with Noetic.
□    Vivek Poddar evaluated a method for detecting leak in rali car air brake systems using ultrasound emissions, and conducted a parametric experimental study under lab conditions. Vivek is Global Transformation Manager in supply chain at BASF in Chennai.
□    Amanda Kotchon developed a laboratory method for image-based feature extraction for fault detection in deformable bodies (haul truck tires). (co-supervised with DS Nobes). Amanda works as a controls engineering manager for FlowCorp in Seattle.
□   Marc Evans investigated the rheology of dense multiphase slurries for subterranean oil sand slurry production (co-supervised with DS Nobes). Marc is a Project Management Engineer with the Department of National Defence in Ottawa.
□   Ronald Delos Reyes developed a method for evaluating the dynamic performance of novel strain sensors in comparison with conventional electroresistive foil strain gauges. Ron is a Process Specialist for multiple Materials Processing with Powell in Edmonton (co-supervised with K Cadien)
□   Waqas Awan applied value-stream mapping and other system performance methods to maintenance modeling and benchmarking in heavy oil and oilsands mobile equipment. He is operations manager with Cummins Edmonton.
□   Nathan Starchuk developed a discrete-event simulation to model the effects of process changes in a garment manufacturing facility, and the effect that new workers had on productivity. Nathan is a design engineer with FlexCim in Edmonton.
□   Victor Jaimes developed experimental methods for characterizing the relationship between slurry process conditions and wear damage rates in pipelines, using a laboratory-scale slurry flow loop and a novel wet-slurry wear  testing apparatus. He is a Continuous Improvement Professional at Canada Post in Airdrie.
□    Derek Loewen conducted characterization studies of the relationship between slurry flow near the wall of a slurry pipe, shear forces, and wear rates. Derek is a Wireline Operator 4 at Tier 1 Energy Solutions in Grande Prairie (co-supervised with DS Nobes).
□    Mohamed Ashraf Ismail developed a concept for carbon capture and deep-ocean storage in the Antarctic (paper study and technical, economic, and environmental assessment). He is now Projects Director at Applied Pharmaceutical Innovation (API) in Edmonton.  (co-supervised with Prof. P. Flynn).
□    Vivek Bhushan developed a set of models relating process variability and damage mechanisms of a laboratory-scale mechanical flotation cell. Vivek has an MBA from Cornell and is now AI Solution/Product Director with C3 AI in Chicago.
□    Anthony Lam developed and evaluated system concepts for underground oilsand fragmentation and slurry production methods. Anthony is an operating officer with Mainstreet Equity in Calgary (co-supervised with Prof. D. Nobes).
□    Suheil El-Sayed characterized the physical relationships between slurry pipeline process variables and pipeline integrity, using simplified parametric modeling of slurry flow related to damage mechanisms. Suheil is a Senior Project & Program Manager and Engineering Consultant in Edmonton.
□    Roberto Gallardo modeled the reliability of a repairable component as a multi-state system and conducted numerical experiments on the sensitivity of PM interval on costs (co-supervised with Prof. M. Zuo). Roberto is now an instructor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering.
□    Andrea Scaffo-Migliaro modeled an at-face mining and slurrying method as a discrete-event system with both production and reliability constraints. She has worked in maintenance engineering and leadership in Calgary and Fort McMurray (co-supervised with Prof. M. Zuo.)
□    Wesley Gilbert developed a control method for a gravity settling process to recover from process disturbances (co-supervised with Prof. F. Forbes).

Others

Undergraduate researchers and high school students have also worked in our group.

• In 2024, Basia Ofovwe developed an apparatus for characterizing single-degree-of-freedom compliant mechanisms.
• In 2023, Hafiz Al Thamud coordinated operations in the ICE Incubator, with support from Wasay Ahmed. Connor McNeill and Ben Harbarenko worked on mechanical systems development for cubesats. Brandon Martens worked on compliant mechanisms under a Dean’s Research Award.
• In Fall 2022, Clemens Kienzler was a visiting student from Germany who implemented and tested a prototype camera gantry system for mounting on a UAV to inspect lodgepole pine trees for mountain pine beetle infestation (with Janice Cooke).
• In Summer 2022, Abigail Hoover developed design teaching resources, leading a team of student content developers: Amrita Bhattachargee, Maheer Waseem, and Darius Fang.
• In Winter & Summer 2021, Fahim Ahamed (and Boris Tsyganok Winter only) designed and developed payloads for UAV contact tasks such as lubricant sampling. Fahim also developed a robotic manipulator for remote access of touchscreens for alternative control actions when humans cannot access a control room facility. Fahim now works for GN2 Engineering. Jordan Rusk and Madian Usserbayeva designed on-line resources for a technology incubator.
• In Summer 2021, Elliot Saive, Ethan Ledig, and Nick Sorensen implemented embedded systems for the Ex-Alta 2 satellite mission being launched in Fall 2022.
• In Summer 2019 and 2020, Karim Valji developed a robotic method for detecting acoustic anomalies for machinery diagnostics (NSERC USRA)
• In Summer 2019 Adam Prus-Czarnecki developed a prototype method to communicate with a diagnostic sensor through a set of automatically connected structural elements used to deploy the sensor into an inaccessible location.
• In Summer and Fall 2020, eight coop students worked on embedded systems development for AlbertaSat.
• Mitch Powley developed a low-cost flowmeter (pneumotach) for pandemic ventilator applications. Mitch now works for FlexCIM.
• Karim Valji developed a robotic method for locating sound sources for acoustic machinery diagnostics. He has worked for Wyvern Space and he is now graduate student with our group.
• Adam Prus-Czarnecki developed a prototype syringe pump for automatic oil sample collection. He is now a PhD student in Physics at McGill.
• Jessica D’Cunha developed a simple extraction process model for inferential sensing studies.
• Uzair Anjum developed a method for evaluating pipe damage due to abrasive wear in a slurry pipeline using acoustic emissions monitoring.
• Brendan Calef converted an analogue shaker-table to computer control and made it web accessible. He also developed a prototype UAV-flyable instrument for assessing whether there is hydrocarbon leakage from an industrial machine or a pipeline. He is currently a graduate student.

□    Betty Tesfay developed a web-accessible remote condition monitoring testbed that will allow other researchers to collect their own data for a range of fault conditions, for rotating equipment as well as faulty components on a shaker table. She is an engineer with EVNA Engineering.

□    Brennan Undseth developed a prototype payload to deploy a vibration sensor from a UAV onto a rotating machine to collect vibration monitoring data. He is a PhD candidate at TU Delft.
□    Ryan Boehnke developed a prototype of a soil sampling tool that can be carried by a rotorcraft unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). He is. firmware engineer with The Rubric, an automation company in Calgary.
□    Andrew Jowsey developed a general-purpose wireless sensor and controller suitable for UAV-based sensor payloads. Andrew is a firmware engineer with Qube Technologies in Calgary.
□    Derek Russell developed a protocol for relating oil sands ore processability to hyperspectral features. He holds a PhD in chemical engineering from QUeen’s he is now a research associate with Calian.
□    Nerissa Wong used image analysis to determine statistical features of slurry particle flow (WISEST student). Nerissa is now a mechanical engineering student at University of Waterloo.
□    Julie Diep analyzed particle trajectories to assess how much energy is transferred to a pipe wall during collisions (WISEST student).
□    Todd Van Mechelen characterized the performance of a novel MEMS wireless sensor. He holds a PhD from Purdue and now is a patent specialist with Fish and Richardson.

M.Eng. students are not listed.