People : Advanced Composites Laboratory : Texas State University

Dr. Jitendra Tate

Dr. Jitendra S. Tate, is a Professor of Manufacturing Engineering at Texas State University. Dr. Tate received PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the NC A&T SU in 2004; and MS ME and BS ME from the University of Pune, India in 1996 and 1990, respectively. Dr. Tate has three years of industrial and over 30 years of academic experience. His research areas include advanced composite materials development, manufacturing, and characterization; additive manufacturing (conductive/magnetic/high-temperature composites), bio-based materials, and nanotechnology safety. He has supervised the Advanced Composites Lab at Texas State since 2005. Dr. Tate is a recipient of a prestigious national teaching award, The Educator of the Year 2020 and 2009, by the ‘Society of Plastics Engineers’ Composites Division. He is a member of AIAA, ASME, SAMPE, SPE, and ACMA. He has supervised 1 PhD dissertation, 22 Masters theses, and 22 undergraduate researchers under NASA, NSF, USDA, AFRL, and industrial grants. His students work at prestigious companies such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin, GM, and Toyota. Many have joined MS and Ph.D. programs at Texas State or, elsewhere. Dr. Tate has 122 peer-reviewed articles published, of which 38 were journal articles, 84 full-length peer-reviewed conference papers, and four book chapters. He has published the second edition of the edited book titled, 'Nano-Safety: What We Need to Know to Protect Workers' published by De Gruyter, Germany. In addition, he has presented his research at 50-plus conferences.

Current Students

Graduate

Oluwasola Arigbabowo, Ph.D Material Science and Engineering

Oluwasola received his BS in Materials Engineering from Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria, and MS in Manufacturing Engineering from Texas State University. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Materials Science, Engineering and Commercialization at Texas State University. Oluwasola’s research focuses on the manufacturing and characterization of polymer nanocomposites filaments with multifunctional properties for 3D printed parts used in electrostatic and magnetic applications.

Rahul Ramchandra Sheley, Ph.D Material Science Engineering and Commercialization

Rahul has over 13 years of extensive academic experience as a faculty member at a Government institute in Maharashtra, India. He has played a significant role in shaping the educational landscape and nurturing students' growth throughout his tenure.

He earned his Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from the prestigious Government College of Engineering in Amravati, Maharashtra, India. Building on his foundation, he pursued a Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering with a specialization in CAD, CAM, and Robotics from Datta Meghe College of Engineering , Airoli. Currently, Rahul is actively engaged in furthering his academic journey by pursuing a Ph.D. in Materials Science, Engineering, and Commercialization at Texas State University. His dedication to expanding his knowledge and expertise demonstrates his commitment to advancing in his field. With his comprehensive academic background, hands-on experience, and ongoing pursuit of knowledge, Rahul is an asset to any educational and research environment.

Kiran Poudel, MS Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Ingram School of Engineering

Kiran did his B.E. in mechanical engineering from Paschimanchal Campus, Nepal. He is pursuing MS in Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering at Texas State University. His research interests are Additive manufacturing, machining, mechanical and magnetic characterizations.

Pratik U Karkhanis, MS Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering Ingram School of Engineering

Pratik has earned his Bachelor of Technology (Mechanical Engineering) degree from MIT Pune in India. He is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering at Texas State University. Pratik has authored a published patent titled "Data Generation Model Predicting Concrete's Properties." His research encompasses a spectrum of disciplines including Additive Manufacturing, Extrusion, Composites, and the application of Artificial Intelligence in the field of Manufacturing

Muhammad Abu Sufian, MS in Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering

Muhammad received his BS in Mechanical Engineering from Ahsanullah University of Science & Technology in 2021. He is currently pursuing his MS in Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering at Texas State University. Muhammad has experience in manufacturing and characterizing fiber-reinforced composites. His research interests lie in nanocomposites and additive manufacturing.

Esmerehildo Trevino, MS Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Ingram School of Engineering

Esmer Trevino obtained his B.S. degree in Manufacturing Engineering at Texas State University in 2012. He is currently pursuing his Master's Degree in Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering. Esmer has been working in the aerospace composite industry full-time since 2012. He worked as a Product Engineer at CFAN where composite fan blades are manufactured for GE Jet Engines until 2023. His thesis research is focused on advanced 2.5D needle-punched composites for aerospace applications.

Kyle Johnson, MS Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Ingram School of Engineering

Kyle Johnson has fifteen years of industry experience in designing, analyzing, and fabricating composite material structures. He obtained his BS in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin, and he’s pursuing an MS in Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering at Texas State University. His research includes different types of composite materials, structural and computational fluid dynamics, and finite element analyses. Kyle's expertise includes hand layup, vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM), compression molding, and filament winding. He has implemented all aspects of SBIR/STTR contracts, including successful proposal writing, project management, and engineering task execution. He has extensive experience in planning, implementing, and analyzing mechanical and physical testing programs. His research involves the enhancement of damage tolerance within composite rotorcraft structures via interface tailoring.

Undergraduate

Tabarek Hillan, B.S in Mechanical Engineering

Tabarek Hillan, undergraduate pursuing B.S in Mechanical Engineering, expected graduation in 2027. Interests in designing and composites.

Sandeep Waghmare B.S in Manufacturing Engineering

Sandeep Waghmare, undergraduate pursuing B.S in Mechanical Engineering, expected graduation in 2024.

Uday Kiran KC, B.S in Manufacturing Engineering

Udaya Kiran K C is a senior undergraduate student at the Department of Manufacturing Engineering at Texas State University. He transferred from India, where he studied Mechanical Engineering for two years. He is currently working as an Undergraduate Research Assistant in the Advanced Composite Lab at TXST, under the supervision of Dr. Jitendra Tate. He is pursuing a minor in Applied Mathematics and plans to graduate in Dec 2024.Udaya’s research interests include design and characterization of polymer and composite materials, Additive Manufacturing, and structural analysis of different types of beams.

Graduated Students

Ph.D. Materials Science, Engineering, and Commercialization

1. Harishsaiprasad Kallagunta, Ph.D. Material Science, Engineering, and Commercialization. 2020.

Masters

MS in Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering

17. Mandesh Khadka. 2023. Mechanical Engineer at Ericsson, Dallas.

16. Connor Hammond. 2022. Test and Robotics Engineer II, Applied Materials, Austin, TX

15. Liam Omer. 2022. Process Development Engineer, Cree LED, Raleigh, NC.

14. Camila Belduque. 2021. Pursuing Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering, University of Houston, 2022-Present.

13. Aziza Nahar. 2021. Packaging R&D Engineering, Intel, AZ. 2022-Present.

12. Oluwasola Arigbabowo. 2020. Pursuing Ph.D. Material Science, Engineering, and Commercialization, Texas State, 2021-Present.

11. Robert Brushaber. 2020. Director of Materials Science and Engineering at Texas Research Institute, Austin, TX.

10. Swayam Shree. 2019. Pursuing Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI. 2019-Present.

9. William J. Schneider. 2019. Raytheon, Houston, TX.

8. Sagar Navle. 2018. Urban Mining, San Marcos, TX.

7. Ryan McDermott. 2018. Verizon, Austin, TX.

MS in Industrial Technology (Manufacturing)

6. Dinesh Kumar. 2016. Zimmer Biomet, Warsaw, IN.

5. Andres Alvarez. 2014.

4. Swapnil Gaikwad. 2012. Quality Manager, Shawmut Corp. Detroit MI.

3. Dmitri Kabakov. 2010. Process Engineer, SCREEN, Oregon.

2. Temi Akinola. 2010. Manufacturing Engineer, National Oilwell Varco. Conroe TX.

1. Srujan Konga. 2009. Computer Programmer, Verizon.

BS

23. Udaya Kiran KC. 2024. Lean Engineer, C-FAN, San Marcos

22. Ben Dudek. 2023. New Product Manufacturing Engineer, Applied Materials, Austin, TX.

21. Subash Panta. 2022. Consumable Engineer, Halo Labs, Burlingame, CA. 2022-Present.

20. Ethan De La Torre, 2020. Armoetex, San Antonio, TX. 2020-Present.

19. Zane Gooden. 2019. Armoetex, San Antonio, TX. 2020-Present.

18. Elizabeth Alvizo, 2020.

17. Andrew Alvarez. 2019. Lockheed Martin. 2021-Present

16. Elijah Danielson. 2019. ABB. South Carolina.

15. Shelby Vasconcellos-Murphy. 2018. Currently pursuing MS in Engineering, Oregon Institute of Technology. Klamath Falls OR.

14. Landon Alexander. 2018. Applied Materials. Austin TX.

13. John Slupsky. 2017. Applied Materials. Austin TX.

12. James Cerda. 2017. Applied Materials. Austin TX.

11. Roger Hernandez. 2016. Q4 Services. Orlando FL.

10. Daniel Slaughter. 2016. Lockheed Martin. Fort Worth TX.

9. Davontae Habbit. 2016. Tesla Gigafactory. Sparks NV.

8. Sergio Espinoza. 2014. FOCUS Business Solutions. Taylor MI

7. Matt Andrews. 2012. Toyota. San Antonio TX.

6. Isidro Rosas. 2012. Mill Reliability Specialist, CMC Steel Texas. Seguin TX.

5. Esmer Trevino. 2012. CFan. San Marcos TX.

4. Ralph Schultz. 2011. Operations Manager, Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. Savannah GA.

3. Charles Jacobs. 2011. Plant Manager, Hexion. Springfield OR.

2. Alex Herrerra. 2010. Process Engineer, The Boeing Company. Seattle WA.

1. Dmitri Kabakov. 2008. Process Engineer, SCREEN, Oregon.

People