Dr. Ala Qattawi is an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical, Industrial, and Manufacturing Engineering at The University of Toledo. She attended and received a Ph.D. in Automotive Engineering from Clemson University with a focus on metal fabrication and worked as a post-doctorate fellow at the International Center for Automotive Research in South Carolina. She is the director and the principal investigator at the Integrated Design and Manufacturing (IDM) Laboratory at the University of Toledo, where her research group interests include advanced and sustainable manufacturing with a focus on additive manufacturing, foldable metal structures, material design for manufacturing, and manufacturing energy analysis.  Dr. Qattawi is the recipient of 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 and the Distinguished Alumni Award from Clemson University in 2023. Dr. Qattawi is an advocate for women and women of color in STEM education and organizes and participates in many outreach activities including a yearly 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 has published over 40  journal papers and 30 conference proceedings and has given over 30 industrial and academic presentations. Her research was funded by the Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, and several industry-sponsored projects.