December 2025
MDAM 2025 Wrapped
2025 marked a milestone year for the MDAM Lab, with multiple journal and conference publications, student awards, research grants, and the graduation of our first two students. These achievements reflect the dedication of our team and the strong support of our academic and industry collaborators.
Looking ahead to 2026, we are excited to continue building on this momentum through new collaborations, student opportunities, and impactful research in structural design, optimization, and additive manufacturing.
September 2025
MDAM Lab Launches Mitacs Partnership with Davey Textile Solutions
The MDAM Lab has launched a new Mitacs Accelerate research collaboration with Davey Textile Solutions Inc. The project focuses on developing ergonomic, efficient, and application-specific tooling and fixture systems for the textile manufacturing industry using Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM). This work addresses real-world manufacturing challenges while establishing a structured DfAM framework for low-volume, industry-specific tooling.
August 2025
MDAM Lab Recognized at HI-AM 2025
At HI-AM 2025, MDAM Lab research on hybrid lattice-based heat exchangers and computational lattice design was recognized with a 2nd Place Best Abstract Award. The awarded work focused on an integrated computational framework for strut-, plate-, and TPMS-type lattice design, advancing scalable tools for additive manufacturing.
The lab also presented recent findings on the thermo-hydraulic performance of uniform and hybrid TPMS heat exchangers, demonstrating how combining structures such as Gyroid, Diamond D, and FRD can improve heat transfer while reducing pressure drop. These results highlight the potential of hybrid lattice designs for compact, high-performance thermal systems in electronics cooling and energy applications.
July 2025
Recent Graduate Highlight
Congratulations to Chinedu Ifediorah on successfully completing his MSc in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Alberta! During his time in the lab, Chinedu contributed to advancements in topology optimization, including the development of Optiworks, a human-centric software framework for high-resolution structural optimization. His work reflects our focus on combining computational design with practical, user-focused tools. We wish him continued success in his next chapter.
June 30, 2025
MDAM Lab Bi-Monthly Seminar Recap
Our bi-monthly seminar featured project updates on safety practices, additive manufacturing for industry tooling, sustainable material reuse, and thermal management systems. Presentations covered variable-diameter core holders for manufacturing applications, recycling-based additive manufacturing for biomedical components, and liquid-cooled heat sink designs developed using topology optimization and electrochemical additive manufacturing.
June 2025
MDAM–MSAM Team Receives Award at ITHERM 2025
The MDAM Lab and MSAM Lab were named winners of the 2024/2025 ASME K-16 & IEEE EPS Student Cold Plate Design Challenge at ITHERM 2025. The winning design was a collaborative effort between the University of Waterloo and University of Alberta teams, showcasing innovative thermal management solutions through advanced additive manufacturing and computational design.
June 1, 2024
MDAM Shines at the 2024 CSME/CFD Conference!
We’re thrilled to share that our MDAM team was fully engaged at the 2024 CSME/CFD Conference at the University of Toronto! Three of our talented team members showcased the exciting projects we’re working on at MDAM.
The conference also gave us the opportunity to visit the impressive MSAM lab at the University of Waterloo and participate in various exciting activities, including a memorable banquet.
It was a fantastic experience connecting with fellow innovators and exploring new horizons in our field!
May 30, 2024
Introducing Optiworks: Your New Topology Optimization App
MDAM introduces Optiworks, our cutting-edge software for topology optimization. Optiworks simplifies this complex task with an intuitive interface, making it accessible for both novices and experts.
With advanced algorithms, Optiworks quickly generates optimized designs, ensuring structural integrity and meeting performance criteria.
May 25, 2024
STEM Fellowship Research Exploration
We had the privilege of guiding high school students through the fascinating world of topology optimization and lattice structures. With hands-on experience using tools like Ntop, Soliworks, and our own innovations like LatGen and OptiWorks, we’re proud to contribute to shaping the next generation of STEM leaders.
May 15, 2024
Announcing FreeTO: Transform Your 3D Designs with Ease!
MDAM is excited to introduce FreeTO, our latest innovation in 3D topology optimization! FreeTO (Freeform Topology Optimization) is a powerful, open-source MATLAB code designed to streamline the process of initializing, optimizing, and post-processing your 3D topology projects.
With FreeTO, you can leverage a structured hexahedral mesh to achieve smooth, efficient, and highly optimized designs. Whether you’re an engineer, researcher, or designer, FreeTO offers the tools you need to push the boundaries of what’s possible in 3D topology optimization.
April 27, 2024
Seminar Series
In our latest seminar, we witnessed the unveiling of two game-changing innovations poised to redefine the realm of design and optimization.
Chinedu Ifediorah introduced Optiworks, a revolutionary software set to simplify design complexity. With its user-friendly interface and advanced capabilities, Optiworks promises to streamline workflows and empower designers.
Collins Kwasi-Effah showcased the marvels of TPMS structures, highlighting their captivating aesthetics and unparalleled functionality.
November 27, 2023
Seminar Series
Today, we started our seminar series and explored innovative concepts in design and optimization. Dr. Yun-Fei Fu’s presentation on “Smooth Topological Design Using SEMDOT (Smooth-Edged Material Distribution for Optimizing Topology)” introduced his SEMDOT algorithm. This algorithm generates a smooth topological boundary based on volume fraction, and can be directly printed using AM machines. It addresses various challenges in topology optimization, setting a new standard in design efficiency. Chinedu Ifediorah’s presentation on “Large Scale Topology Optimization” introduces a project aimed at addressing the need for large-scale topology optimization prompted by the increasing computational resources required for optimization. This initiative focuses on developing an advanced optimization framework and streamlining its utilization through a user-friendly interface.
September 15, 2023
Introducing LattGen: An Open-Source Software for Generating Triply Periodic Minimal Surfaces
MDAM introduces LattGen, an open-source software tailored to simplify the process of creating Triply Periodic Minimal Surface (TPMS) lattices. With LattGen, you can generate a diverse selection of 30 predefined lattices with uniform or graded density. Furthermore, it facilitates the import of existing meshes for lattice integration, and allows for the export of the resulting object as an STL file. This versatile tool enables you to customize your design to meet your specific needs. You can access the open-source code here.
August 22, 2023
Next-Generation Engineering Symposium
The Faculty of Engineering Graduate Research Symposium (FEGRS) is a yearly event organized by the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Engineering. This year’s symposium was centered around the theme of “Next-generation Engineering”, highlighting the advancements being made in engineering dedicated to solving challenges more efficiently and sustainably. Alex Inoma, from MDAM Lab showcased his work on optimizing an auto-rickshaw component for reduced weight and comparable performance in a poster presentation. This symposium was a success, providing an excellent platform to showcase accomplishments and establish connections within the engineering community.
May 16, 2023
MDAM Springs into Action with an Inaugural Lunch
Today, our team came together for a productive meeting followed by a tantalizing meal. This intimate setting allowed us to engage in meaningful conversations and set our goals for the upcoming months. Stay tuned for updates on our progress, as well as announcements and achievements that we will be sharing along the way.