University of Delaware Center for Composite Materials

06/23/2026

Celebrating 10 years of NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration University Leadership Initiative (ULI) and the impact of collaborative research advancing the future of aerospace manufacturing.

Through the ULI program, the UD Center For Composite Materials (UD-CCM) developed scalable composite manufacturing technologies capable of achieving aerospace-level performance at automotive production rates for advanced air mobility applications. Key accomplishments included the development of highly aligned discontinuous-fiber TuFF composites with thermoplastic and thermoset matrices, offering greater than 50% stretch in the fiber direction, and stamp-forming processes for complex-geometry parts with cycle times below five minutes. Material property databases for static and fatigue loading were generated, with properties comparable to those of continuous-fiber composites.

The program also developed advanced micromechanics models for predicting effective viscosity, as well as experimental methods and data-reduction procedures to determine constitutive models describing the stress-strain-rate response of TuFF composites. The constitutive models were successfully implemented in both Abaqus and Aniform software. These simulation tools were used for process and tooling design to successfully form doubly curved parts without wrinkles. Simulation predictions were experimentally validated through part-forming trials. The ULI established a digital design environment for TuFF manufacturing of aerospace structures that meet stringent dimensional and quality requirements at high production rates.

Beyond research and technology development, the ULI program supported significant education and workforce development efforts, engaging 14 faculty members and more than 80 students. The program also supported NASA internships, outreach programs, national conference participation, and STEM engagement activities that reached more than 2,500 K–12 students.

We are proud of the partnerships, research accomplishments, and workforce development efforts enabled through this program and grateful to NASA and our collaborators for supporting this work.

Learn more about the NASA ULI program: https://brnw.ch/21x3A2i

Learn more about the UD-CCM ULI program and research highlights: https://brnw.ch/21x3A2h

06/19/2026

❤️🖤💚 Juneteenth: A Celebration of Freedom and Resilience

Today our offices will be closed as we honor June 19, 1865—the day freedom finally reached the enslaved people of Galveston, Texas, more than two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation.

Juneteenth is a profound reminder of the enduring strength, resilience, and triumph of the Black community. It’s a day to celebrate how far we’ve come, while recognizing the vital work that still lies ahead in the pursuit of true equality and justice for all.

Today, we lift up Black voices, celebrate Black culture, and recommit to the ongoing journey toward collective liberation.

06/10/2026

We're proud to see UD Center For Composite Materials researcher Sagar Doshi in this story highlighting how the University of Delaware is fostering innovation and accelerating the translation of research into real-world impact.

Sagar's work on advanced wearable sensing technologies demonstrates how cutting-edge materials research can address challenges in healthcare, human performance, and beyond. Stories like this showcase the power of interdisciplinary collaboration and entrepreneurship in moving discoveries from the lab to society.

Read more below.
Link: https://brnw.ch/21x3feI

Supporting innovation culture on campus in the age of artificial intelligence

06/02/2026

🏆 Achievement in Composite Excellence | 2026 UD-CCM Awards

At the Center for Composite Materials, education and mentorship remain at the heart of innovation. Each year, we proudly recognize students, researchers, staff, alumni, and visiting scholars whose contributions continue to advance the field of composite materials worldwide.

Please join us in congratulating the 2026 Achievement in Composite Excellence Award recipients:

✨ John W. Gillespie, Jr. Distinguished Alumni Award
• George Thomas

✨ Jack R. Vinson Leadership Award
• Sagar Doshi, Ph.D. (Advisors: J. M. Deitzel & J. W. Gillespie, Jr.)

✨ R. L. McCullough Scholars Award
• Tania Lavaggi, Ph.D. (Advisors: S. G. Advani & J. W. Gillespie, Jr.)

✨ Tsu-Wei Chou Composites Science & Innovation Award
• Amit M. Deshpande (Advisor: S. Pilla)

✨ Research Progress Award
• Matthew Abraham (Advisor: S. G. Advani)

✨ Outstanding Senior Award
• Rebecca Stutzman (Advisors: S. Pilla & Sai Aditya Pradeep, Ph.D.)

✨ Undergraduate Research Award
• Matthew Nichols (Advisor: S. G. Advani)

✨ Visiting Researcher Award
• Rahul Kovuru (Hochschule Kaiserslautern; Advisor: S. Pilla)

✨ Outstanding Research Staff Award
• Pavel Simacek, Ph.D. (Advisor: S. G. Advani)

✨ Directors’ Award
• Angela Anderson (Research Office)
• Sai Aditya Pradeep, Ph.D. (CCM)
• Clarissa Roth (Research Office)
• Vicky Tosh-Morelli (UD College of Engineering Communications)

These achievements reflect the strength of our community and the impact of collaborative research and education in composites science and engineering at the University of Delaware.

👏 Congratulations to all recipients for your outstanding contributions!

05/19/2026

Calling all Blue Hengineers! 💙🐔

UD Center For Composite Materials is excited to join the University of Delaware UD College of Engineering’s annual Alumni & Friends Lawn Party!

Reconnect with fellow Hengineers, classmates, faculty, and industry friends while enjoying food, drinks, music, lawn games, and free College of Engineering swag on the front lawn of Spencer Laboratory.

📅 Friday, May 29
⏰ 5:00 – 7:00 p.m.
📍 Spencer Laboratory Front Lawn

Whether you’re a CCM alum, collaborator, student, or friend of the composites community, we’d love to see you there.

Please register for planning purposes.
Link: https://brnw.ch/21x2DvO

Calling all ! The College of Engineering invites alumni, students, faculty, staff and friends from every department to the Alumni & Friends Lawn Party on the front lawn of Spencer Laboratory. Formerly known as the MechE Family Cookout, this reimagined tradition now welcomes the full engin...

05/07/2026

Throwback to engineering in everyday life.

CCM’s founding director, Jack R. Vinson, was a co-inventor on a snap-off blade knife design focused on improving user safety. It’s the kind of tool many of us have used, made better through careful engineering and attention to detail.

While this innovation may seem simple, it reflects a broader philosophy that guided his career: solving real-world problems and making things work better for people.

That same philosophy continues to inspire CCM today - and is carried forward through efforts like the Dr. Jack Vinson Scholarship and the new Jack R. Vinson Leadership Award.

Sometimes, the smallest innovations tell the biggest stories.

Link to patent: https://brnw.ch/21x2hvm
Make a gift to continue his impact: https://brnw.ch/21x2hvl

04/30/2026

The UD Center For Composite Materials is advancing next-generation composite technologies, and PhD Student Michael Vo is contributing to this effort through his research on sustainable materials.

Michael’s work focuses on improving natural fiber composites by modifying the surface of fibers to enhance their performance. By studying how these treatments affect fiber properties and their interaction with surrounding materials, he aims to create stronger, more reliable, and more sustainable composite systems.

His research is part of an NSF EPSCoR project that brings together collaborators across the University of Delaware, partner universities, and industry to develop high-performance natural fiber composites. This work helps advance the connection between agriculture, material properties, and composite performance, supporting more sustainable solutions for future applications.

Michael’s research exemplifies how CCM is driving innovation at the intersection of sustainability and advanced materials.

Learn more: https://brnw.ch/21x2532

04/27/2026

At the University of Delaware Center for Composite Materials (UD-CCM), education is our most vital contribution to the global scientific community. We believe that recognizing student excellence is more than a tradition—it is a celebration of the minds currently driving the next generation of technological breakthroughs. As our students push the boundaries of composites, their inquiry fuels innovation far beyond our halls. We are proud to formally announce the recipients of the 2026 Achievement in Composite Excellence (ACE) Awards, recognizing outstanding contributions across research, innovation, leadership and service.

We invite you to join us in celebrating these exceptional achievements on Friday, May 1, at 11:00 AM in the Composite Manufacturing Science Lab, room 106, where we will hone the following awardees.