Dr. Ala Qattawi is an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical, Industrial, and Manufacturing Engineering at The University of Toledo. She earned her Ph.D. in Automotive Engineering from Clemson University, specializing in metal fabrication. She subsequently served as a post-doctorate fellow at the International Center for Automotive Research in South Carolina. Currently, she holds the position of director and principal investigator at the Integrated Design and Manufacturing (IDM) Laboratory at the University of Toledo. Within her research group at IDM, Dr. Qattawi focuses on advanced and sustainable manufacturing, studying additive manufacturing, foldable metal structures, material design for manufacturing, and manufacturing energy analysis.

Her contributions to advanced manufacturing earned her several awards, including the Hellman Faculty Award in 2016, the Young Manufacturing Engineer Award from SME in 2018, the Ralph Teetor Education Award from SAE in 2021, the Toyota Programmable System Innovation Fellowship Award in 2022, the ORR Best Paper Award from ASME in 2022, the Distinguished Alumni Award from Clemson University-Automotive Engineering Department in 2023, the 2023 Excellence in Supervision of Undergraduate Research Award from the University of Toledo, and the Engineering Research Initiation (ERI) Award from National Science Foundation in 2023.  Dr. Qattawi actively advocates for women and women of color in STEM education. She actively organizes and participates in outreach activities, such as an annual workshop for additive manufacturing during Girl’s Power Week at Toledo Imagination Station Children's Museum and Toledo Excel Summer School for middle school students.

Dr. Qattawi's academic publications include over 40 journal papers and 30 conference proceedings, complemented by more than 30 industrial and academic presentations. Her research endeavors have received funding from prestigious institutions like the Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, and various industry-sponsored projects.