PhD

Tyler Alexander Davis (PhD)

The focus of my research under Dr. Lukas Bichler was grain refinement of magnesium alloys. One invaluable aspect of my time working in this lab is the support you receive from your supervisor and colleagues. The knowledge and skills I gained in this lab have led me to the career I have now.

Kris Mackowiak

Kris received his both his BASc and MASc in Mining Engineering from Queen’s University. His PhD research under the supervision of Dr. Lukas Bichler was on the extraction of tellurium from mining slag. He is continuing to work with Dr. Bichler on various projects including corrosion, metal refining, and material characterization.

Somi Doja

Somi Doja received her bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Jamia Millia Islamia, India in 2015. She obtained her master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of British Columbia-Okanagan (UBCO) in 2017. Her research focuses on the area of processing and testing materials for electrochemical applications. Somi is currently a Ph.D. student at the UBCO, with her research focused on recycling, upgrading, and testing end-of-life tires for energy storage applications

Vishank Kumar (Associate Scientist)

Vishank works in the battery industry as an Associate Scientist for the next-generation lithium-ion batteries. His main areas of interest are studying the structural, electronic and vibrational properties of battery materials from first-principles-based Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations and molecular dynamics simulations. He did his master thesis with Prof. Bichler on grain refinement of high-strength aluminum alloys for automotive applications before moving to Belgium, where he obtained his Ph.D. in computational materials science. He would be happy to connect to anyone travelling to Europe for a beer and show around some places.

Masters

Amit Azad

Received B.Sc (2005) in Mechanical Engineering from Islamic University of Technology (IUT), Bangladesh; MBA (2010) in Management Information System from University of Dhaka, Bangladesh; and M.A.Sc (2012) in Mechanical Engineering from UBCO. M.A.Sc research topic was Grain Refinement of Magnesium Alloy. Professional Engineer (EGBC) in Oil & Gas Pipeline and Mechanical engineering field. Gained extensive experience in pipeline and compressor station design, material selection and construction. Currently working as a Senior Project Engineer for FortisBC Energy Inc. (Gas).

Karen Edwards

My research focused on cubic zirconia doped with rare earth metals, manufactured via spark plasma sintering. I had the pleasure to work with groups in Canada, India and Spain during my Master’s at UBC Okanagan.

Levi Lafortune

Levi studied under Dr. Bichler from 2016-2019, pursuing his master’s degree and conducting research in the metal casting and spark plasma sintering laboratories. His thesis investigated the feasibility of a novel grain refiner for strengthening cast aluminum alloys. After graduation, Levi began working for a drilling products manufacturer in Alberta, designing tooling primarily for construction drilling.

Vladimir Neykov P.Eng

In 2013 Dr. Bichler and I conduct research requested by a local company. The research was on the weldability of abrasion-resistant steel AR200. We used a neutron beam to evaluate the effect of heat treatment on residual stresses. Also, how the heat treatment will affect the mechanical properties of the AR200 steel.

Justin Mok

Justin had worked in Dr. Bichler’s metallurgical lab while perusing his Master’s degree. He worked to develop TiC-based master alloys that would be used to strengthen 300 series Aluminum alloys during the metal casting process. After graduating, Justin has been working closely with turbine engines. His first role had him working in a helicopter engine repair facility. He is currently working in the power utility industry that use gas turbines to generate electrical power.

Sadhak Gautam

Sadhak Gautam completed his Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering from SRM University in the year 2017. Then he worked as a Trainee-Engineer (Mechanical) at SEW, Surat. In May 2019, he joined the group as a MASc student and started working as a Graduate Research Assistant under Dr. Bichler’s supervision. His research focuses on the development and characterization of wear-resistant alloys for mining applications.

Undergraduates

Daryus Ahmed

Daryus Ahmed is a third-year mechanical engineering / mechatronics student currently attending UBCO. His interests lie in the fields of material science, manufacturing, and sustainability . So far in his studies, he has worked as a supply chain engineer at PepsiCo, an undergraduate research awardee for Autonomous Vehicles and as a Teaching Assistant for Sustainability. Daryus chose engineering as it allows him to push the boundaries of research and technology further.

Darren Evan Widjaja

Darren Widjaja is a third-year mechanical-mechatronics engineering student at the University of British Columbia Okanagan with a particular interest in material engineering and robotics. In the near future, he hopes to continue his education into a Master’s Degree.

Visiting Students

Olusoji O. Ayodele (VIRS – PhD)

My research focused on investigating the effect of heating rates on the microstructures and mechanical properties of carbon nanotubes reinforced nickel aluminide prepared by spark plasma sintering.

Diego Pires Gurgel (Visiting International Researcher Student – VIRS)

Diego Pires Gurgel received his bachelor’s degrees in Science&Technology and in Mechanical Engineering from the Federal University of the Semi-Arid Region (2011 and 2014), where he also obtained his master’s degree in Systems of Communication and Automation (2016). In his Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering, Diego is working at the Laboratory of Ceramic Materials and Special Metals (Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte), developing super hard materials via powder metallurgy, using High Pressure and High-Temperature conditions. Part of his research was developed at the University of British Columbia-Okanagan (2019-2020) as a Visiting Internship Researcher Student under Dr. Bichler’s supervision.