Advanced Materials Workshop from 8 to 10 July 2025 in Toronto, Canada - Lassonde School of Engineering, York University & HTWK Leipzig.
Representatives from HTWK Leipzig attended the three-day Advanced Materials Workshop at the Lassonde School of Engineering at York University in Toronto, Canada, in July 2025. The jointly organised and conducted "Advanced Materials Workshop" provided an excellent platform for maintaining existing contacts and opening up new fields of cooperation in materials research. Special thanks go to the organisers Prof. Robert Böhm from the Faculty of Engineering at HTWK Leipzig and Prof. Garrett Melenka from the Lassonde School of Engineering at York University Toronto.
Prof. Böhm and Prof. Garrett Melenka initiated the joint workshop. Melenka initiated the joint workshop with financial support from the German Research Foundation (DFG). The starting point for this collaboration was a DFG delegation trip for HAWs in 2023, during which Prof. Robert Böhm and Prof. Garrett Melenka got to know each other.
The "Advanced Materials Workshop" in July 2025 focussed on an intensive exchange on current materials science research topics, particularly in the areas of additive manufacturing and composite materials. In numerous presentations, scientists from both institutions provided insights into their respective areas of expertise. Among the topics discussed were new fields of application for additive manufacturing processes, including current challenges as well as simulation methods, experimental methods of material characterisation and possible applications in the field of composite materials. Prof Robert Böhm, Professors Ingo Reinhold and Stephan Schönfelder as well as research assistants Dr Dmytro Rassokhin and Dr Michael Kucher from HTWK took part in the event.
The workshop also included tours of various research facilities at York University, including the York Micro-fabrication Facility (YMF), the Thomas Cooper Lab, Prof Marina Freire-Gormaly's PhD Lab and various mechanical engineering laboratories. These insights enabled a deeper understanding of the respective research infrastructures and potential starting points for joint future projects.
"The discussions showed how complementary our research specialisms are. This trip was an important milestone for the establishment of sustainable transatlantic cooperation between Germany and Canada," summarises Prof Schönfelder, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering.
In addition to the professional exchange, there were intensive discussions about future cooperation opportunities and the development of new sources of funding. For example, "International Collaboration Opportunities" were discussed, including DAAD programmes. Another important topic was "Research Internships and Exchanges" to promote the exchange of students and researchers. These discussions laid the foundations for promising joint research projects and even closer collaboration between HTWK Leipzig and York University in the field of materials research. A return visit by the Canadian researchers to Leipzig is planned.
