Mechanical Specialist. Responsible for equipment maintenance, training, and safety.
Zach Brunson is a Research Engineer in the G. W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology, working primarily at the Advanced Manufacturing Pilot Facility (AMPF). Prior to Georgia Tech, Zach was a graduate teaching fellow and research assistant at the Colorado School of Mines in Golden Colorado where he received his Ph.D. (2021) and M.S. (2019) in Mechanical Engineering studying theoretical and experimental mechanics of inelastic anisotropic and asymmetric materials. Prior to pursuing a graduate degree, Zach gained experience working as a measurements field engineer in the petroleum industry (2013-2015) after earning his B.S. (2013) in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Colorado in Boulder Colorado.
Zach’s research revolves around as manufactured material property prediction, measurement, and certification. The two major thrusts of his research are: (1) theoretical and experimental mechanics of inelastic anisotropic and asymmetric materials and (2) sensor development for process monitoring and part qualification in directed energy deposition (DED) additive manufacturing (AM) systems. By developing a more complete understanding of the elastic limits of anisotropic and asymmetric materials, we can better describe both the deformation during manufacturing processes such as forging, forming, or rolling and the final strength of as manufactured (conventionally or AM) components. By developing sensor systems to monitor AM processes such as DED, we can begin to better inform the creation of predictive models, identify critical events related to part performance, improve feedback controls for more reliability and repeatability, and ultimately qualify processes and certify components.
Dr. Bert Bras has been a Professor at the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology since September 1992. From 2001 to 2004, he served as the Director of Georgia Tech’s Institute for Sustainable Technology and Development.
In 2014, he was named a Brook Byers Professor of Sustainability. He was named the Associate Chair for Administration for the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Tech in 2016 and briefly served as Interim School Chair in 2018.
Dr. Bras’ 25-year career as a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology equips him with considerable expertise in sustainable design and manufacturing that has taken him through many areas of industry, from automotive to alternative energy.
He holds an MS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Twente (Netherlands) and a Ph.D. in Operations Research from the University of Houston. Prior to completing his Ph.D., he worked at the Maritime Research Institute Netherlands (MARIN).
Christos Alexopoulos is the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies as well as a Professor in the H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Georgia Tech.
Dr. Alexopoulos' research interests center on applied probability, statistics, and optimizations of stochastics systems. His recent work involves problems related to the optimal design of telecommunications and transportation networks.