Ala Qattawi is a Jordanian and American automotive engineer whose research focuses on the manufacture of metal forms by

origami ) is the Japanese art of paper folding. In modern usage, the word "origami" is often used as an inclusive term for all folding practices, regardless of their culture of origin. The goal is to transform a flat square sheet of paper into a ...

-like

foldforming Foldforming is a technique of metalworking whereby metal is folded, repeatedly forged and annealed, and unfolded; at which stage it generally has a dramatic new three-dimensional form. While alternate spellings abound (e.g., fold-forming, fold form ...

sheet metal Sheet metal is metal formed into thin, flat pieces, usually by an industrial process. Thicknesses can vary significantly; extremely thin sheets are considered foil (metal), foil or Metal leaf, leaf, and pieces thicker than 6 mm (0.25 ...

and by

additive manufacturing 3D printing, or additive manufacturing, is the construction of a three-dimensional object from a CAD model or a digital 3D model. It can be done in a variety of processes in which material is deposited, joined or solidified under computer ...

. She is an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering at the

University of Toledo The University of Toledo (UToledo or UT) is a Public university, public research university in Toledo, Ohio, United States. It is the northernmost campus of the University System of Ohio. The university also operates a Health Science campus, ...

, where she heads the Integrated Design and Manufacturing Lab.

Education and career

Qattawi is originally from Jordan, where her father was an English teacher; she became interested in engineering through watching him repair things in his home workshop. She received a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering in 2007 at the

Jordan University of Science and Technology The Jordan University of Science and Technology ( ''Jami'at Al-Ulum wa Al-Tiknolojia Al-Urdunia''), often abbreviated JUST, is a public university, public technological university located on the outskirts of Irbid, at Ar Ramtha in northern Jor ...

, as "the top of her class". She came to

Clemson University Clemson University () is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university near Clemson, South Carolina, United States. - The blue-shaded pattern denotes university property. This shows Clemson University is ''out ...

in 2008 for a master's degree in mechanical engineering, and joined their doctoral program in

automotive engineering Automotive engineering, along with aerospace engineering and naval architecture, is a branch of vehicle engineering, incorporating elements of Mechanical engineering, mechanical, Electrical engineering, electrical, Electronic engineering, electro ...

in 2009, focusing her doctoral research on origami methods in sheet metal forming. When she completed her Ph.D. in 2012, she became the first woman in the US to earn a doctorate in automotive engineering. She continued at Clemson as a postdoctoral researcher, and from 2015 to 2018 became an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at the

University of California, Merced The University of California, Merced (UC Merced or colloquially, UCM) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Merced, California, United States. It is one of the ten campuses in the University of ...

. She moved to the

in 2019, and was promoted to associate professor in 2024.

Recognition

In 2018, the Society of Manufacturing Engineers named Qattawi as one of their Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineers. Qattawi was the 2021 recipient of the Ralph R. Teetor Educational Award of the

Society of Automotive Engineers SAE International is a global professional association and standards organization based in Warrendale, Pennsylvania, United States. Formerly the Society of Automotive Engineers, the organization adopted its current name in 2006 to reflect bot ...

. Clemson University's Department of Automotive Engineering named her as a distinguished alumna in 2023.

References

External links

Integrated Design and Manufacturing Lab
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Qattawi, Ala Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Jordanian emigrants to the United States Jordanian engineers American automotive engineers American women engineers Women automotive engineers Jordan University of Science and Technology alumni Clemson University alumni University of California, Merced faculty University of Toledo faculty