Celebrating Excellence at the SAMPE 2026 Awards Ceremony

At the close of an inspiring week in Seattle, the SAMPE community gathered one final time to celebrate the people shaping the future of materials and process engineering.

The SAMPE 2026 Awards Ceremony recognized student leaders, researchers, volunteers, young professionals, technical innovators, and longtime contributors whose work reflects the depth, talent, and momentum of the advanced materials community.

From groundbreaking papers to rising student chapters and emerging industry leaders, this year’s honorees demonstrated what makes SAMPE unique: a community where technical excellence, mentorship, collaboration, and service all matter.

Celebrating Student Leadership and Research Excellence

SAMPE recognized the 2026 Student Leadership Experience participants for their commitment to leadership and engagement within the composites and advanced materials community:

• Kunle Adeyemo | Michigan State University

• Seyda Alasahin | University of Delaware

• Debrup Chakraborty | University of South Carolina

• Kevin Cloherty | University of Massachusetts Lowell

• Kaela Nyland | Western Washington University

• Prudhvi Pola | Oklahoma State University

• Muhammad Sufian | Texas State University

SAMPE also welcomed back the University Research Symposium, highlighting innovative student research from universities around the world.

PhD Category

Finalists:

• Uday Balaga | University of Delaware

• Joseph Kirchoff | University of Texas at Austin

• Aspen Reyes | Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University

Winner: Joseph Kirchoff | University of Texas at Austin

Master’s Category

Finalists:

• Christopher Clark | University of Maryland

• Grace Johnson | University of Maryland

• Jonathan Wiggins | Utah State University

Winner: Christopher Clark | University of Maryland

International Winners

• Takayu Nishioka | University of Tokyo | SAMPE Japan

• Bruno Santos | Imperial College London | SAMPE Europe

These students represent the next generation of innovators advancing composite materials, manufacturing, and engineering worldwide.

Recognizing Emerging Leaders

One of the ceremony’s most meaningful moments was the recognition of the 2026 Young Professional Emerging Leadership Award nominees — individuals already making significant contributions to research, manufacturing, education, and industry leadership early in their careers.

This year’s nominees included:

• Mohit Agarwal, PhD | The Dow Chemical Company

• Dr. Caitlyn Clarkson | Oak Ridge National Laboratory

• Marco Didonè, Ph.D. | The University of British Columbia

• Zachary Ingrey | Salt Lake Community College

• Sagar Kanhere, Ph.D. | University of Tennessee, Knoxville

• Tanaya Mandal, PhD | CesiumAstro

• Dr. Colleen M. Murray | University of Maryland

• Alec Redmann, PhD | 3M

• Saurabh Sudesh Vaidya | TORAY PMC

• Dr. Xiaoxiao Zhao | University of Maine

2026 Young Professional of the Year

Dr. Colleen M. Murray | University of Maryland

Colleen’s journey through SAMPE exemplifies the power of long-term engagement within the community. From earning recognition in the University Research Symposium as both a master’s and PhD student to mentoring the next generation of students and now serving as Chair of the SAMPE Young Professionals Committee, her impact continues to grow across the organization.

Student Chapter of the Year

The University of South Carolina was named the 2026 Student Chapter of the Year.

Led by faculty advisor Dr. Subramani Sockalingam, the chapter was recognized for outstanding revitalization efforts, strong engagement, and meaningful participation within the SAMPE community.

Representatives recognized during the ceremony included: Debrup Chakraborty, Amanda Sark, Evan Wey, Jonathan Parker and Chong Han Andrew Zhao.

Outstanding Technical Paper Awards

Innovation and technical excellence remained front and center throughout the conference, and the Outstanding Technical Paper Awards highlighted some of the year’s most impactful research contributions.

Third Place

A Data-Efficient Machine Learning Framework for Uncertainty Quantification of Assembly Gap in Aerospace Composites (Download)

University of Washington

Authors: Kendall Johnson, Rowan Preedy, and Dr. Navid Zobeiry

Second Place

Enabling In-Space Manufacturing of Reactive Thermoset Composite via Flexible Containment (Download)

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Author: Ivan C. Wu

2026 Outstanding Technical Paper of the Year

Ultra-High-Rate Manufacturing of Thermoplastic Aircraft Tip Rib using Hybrid Overmolding (Download)

National Institute for Aviation Research at Wichita State University

Author: Dr. Waruna Seneviratne

SAMPE Journal Cover of the Year

The 2025 SAMPE Journal Cover of the Year award was presented for the March/April 2025 issue featuring the filament winding of a composite overwrapped pressure vessel.

The winning image was submitted by Anand Rau. (Read the issue)

Honoring Leadership and Service

The ceremony also marked the conclusion of Dr. Ashley Tracey's term as SAMPE North America President, recognizing her leadership in strengthening technical relevance, advancing student programs, and building partnerships that will continue shaping SAMPE’s future.

The traditional passing of the gavel welcomed incoming President Sana Elyas, whose prerecorded remarks reinforced the momentum and vision ahead for the organization.

Thank You to the SAMPE Community

SAMPE 2026 would not have been possible without the dedication of volunteers, technical reviewers, committee members, exhibitors, sponsors, speakers, and attendees who contributed throughout the week.

Most importantly, congratulations to every nominee, finalist, presenter, volunteer, and award recipient recognized during this year’s ceremony. Your work continues to advance materials, manufacturing, and the future of our industry.

To see more photos from the ceremony and the week in Seattle, visit the Official SAMPE 2026 Photo Gallery. Download the Technical Proceedings here.