Keynotes

Invited Keynote Speaker
Professor Chiara Daraio (Caltech)

Prof. Daraio's work is focused on developing new materials with advanced mechanical and sensing properties, for application in soft robotics, wearable devices, and shock/vibration absorption. Her lab is interested in understanding how different physical functions in new materials arise from their micro- and meso-structure, in both ordered and disordered media. Some of the applications of her research include new materials and methods for acoustic imaging and thermal sensing for health monitoring, smart and tunable fabrics, as well as sustainable materials for packaging and construction. Her work is primarily experimental, but it is informed by numerical and analytical studies, which serve as a guide in new material design, fabrication, and validation of their properties.

2025 ASME C.D. Mote Jr, Early Career Award

Professor Malte Krack, University of Stuttgart, Germany

Malte Krack is a Professor at the University of Stuttgart. After obtaining his doctoral degree in Mechanical Engineering 2014 at the University of Hannover, he was postdoctoral researcher at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, before he started as a tenure-tracked professor 2016 at the University of Stuttgart, where he was promoted to Full Professor 2021. His research revolves around nonlinear structural dynamics with a particular focus on contact (dry friction; impacts), it spans the complete range from the fundamental development of computational and experimental methods to real-world engineering applications such as bladed disks in aircraft engines. He received 6 Best Paper Awards (5 from the ASME), and 3 best graduation awards. He is an Associate Editor of Mechanical Systems and Signal Processing, served as Lecturer in 2 CISM Advanced Schools and was invited as Keynote Speaker to 3 international meetings/conferences. He has published about 70 articles in peer-reviewed high impact journals, 4 book chapters, several open source tools (incl. NLvib) and a monograph (Harmonic Balance for Nonlinear Vibration Problems, Springer), and holds 3 international patents.

2025 ASME Mary Baker Industry Achievement Award

Dr. Stephen ‘Michael’ Spottswood

Senior technical staff, Aerospace Systems Directorate

Principal Aerospace Engineer, Structural Sciences Center

Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio

Dr. Stephen ‘Michael’ Spottswood is a member of the senior technical staff of the Air Force Research Laboratory, Aerospace Systems Directorate (AFRL/RQ), at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, and a Principal Aerospace Engineer in the Structural Sciences Center (SSC), where he leads a highly capable government, post-doctoral and academic research team. As a long-serving member of the SSC, Michael has led numerous basic-to-advanced development projects/programs and made lasting connections with the aerospace industry. He was the technical manager for the first SSC-led academic collaborative center – the Midwest Structural Sciences Center, U. of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, 2006-2013.  In 2012, Michael was selected to head the basic research mission of the SSC, leading the AFOSR interactions and forging strong connections with Arlington, EOARD and AOARD program officers. Michael’s SSC aerothermoelastic research team is well recognized for their hypersonic structures research, e.g., 1st ever successful high-supersonic full-field observations/validation of aerospace structure at the Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC) von Kármán aerothermal wind tunnel (VKF-C). Michael excels at leading diverse teams focusing on multi-discipline aerospace problems and enjoys designing and executing complex experiments exploring deleterious structural behavior and then reconciling predictions and measurements. Michael was the first USAF recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE, 2010), a 2015 AFRL Commander’s Cup/Richard Neal Special Recognition Award winner, 2017 Courtland D. Perkins Award winner, 2022 S.D. Heron Award winner, and is a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers