About the Forum

The Peter O. Stahl Advanced Design Forum, made possible by a donation from Peter’s wife, Dr. Cynthia Arnold (pictured above), brings together industry leaders, government stakeholders and academic researchers to foster collaboration and sharing of best practices in data science, artificial intelligence, and machine learning to transform the ways chemicals and materials are designed, developed, and produced. It exemplifies the commitment of CEMS to excellence in research and education, now leveraging the emerging fields of data science and machine learning. We welcome you to the second Stahl Advanced Design Forum!

Peter Stahl is an exemplary name-sake for the Advanced Design Forum. Peter started his career in 1969 at BASF in Ludwigshafen, Germany, where he worked in the production plant for acrylics and styrenics. He moved to General Electric (GE) Plastics in the early 1980s, when plastics use was growing rapidly but potential customers lacked an understanding of how to work with these new materials. 

One of Peter’s first accomplishments at GE Plastics was to set up the industry’s first plastics applications development laboratory. His fundamental work advanced and integrated materials testing, statistical design techniques, process and application design modeling, with intimate customer support. 

An example of the impact of Peter’s work is the BMW Z1 Roadster, which featured body panels made from GE’s Xenoy, a polyester poly-carbonate polymer. These body panels were non-load-bearing and were bolted to the chassis to lightweight the vehicle, reduce the cost of repairs, and with its integrated overall body design, provide an exciting and sleek design aesthetic. 

Peter spent the remainder of his career at GE Plastics, focused on building industry-leading applications, development capabilities, and customer support for engineering polymers. He was known for his technical breadth and rigor and customer collaboration.