Meet the people of IDEA-Lab:
The IDEA-Lab team comprises a diverse and talented group of individuals from around the world. Our members range from enthusiastic undergraduate students to distinguished visiting professors, bringing a wide spectrum of academic and professional experience. This diversity reflects our strong commitment to excellence and innovation in the field of mechanical engineering.
Principal Investigator
Aleksander Czekanski, PhD, FCSME
Professor of Mechanical Engineering, PI of Integrated Design and Engineering Analysis Laboratory (IDEA-LAB)
Research Interests: Computational and Experimental Solid Mechanics, Additive Manufacturing, Bioprinting, Artificial Intelligence and Engineering Education
Postdoctoral Researchers
Angel Mora, PhD
Postdoctoral Visitor, 2025 – Present
Computational Mechanics
Stephen Melly, PhD
Banting Fellow, 2024 – Present
Constitutive Modeling of Super-Soft 4D Bioprinted Materials
Doctoral Students
Felipe Mateus
Doctoral, 2024 – Present
Jeffrey Drai
Doctoral, 2024 – Present
Biofabrication of Vascular Network for Engineered Tissue
Ragab Etiwa
Doctoral, 2023 – Present
Multiscale Modeling and Characterization of 3D-Printed Soft Materials
Yuriy Uvarov
Doctoral, 2022 – Present
Roger Carrick
Doctoral, 2018 – Present
Developing 3D Bioprinting Methods
Master Students
Arleth Suarez
Master’s, 2025 – Present
Mhd Youssef Demashkieh
Master’s, 2023 – Present
Undergraduate, 2022 – 2023
Characterization of BioInks for 3D Printing and Bioengineering Applications
Siddharth Chandel
Master’s, 2025 – Present
Undergraduate Students
Ibrahim El Zamzamy
Bachelor’s, 2024 – Present
Developed a miniature 3D printing platform, developing fixtures for 3D printed elastomer testing
Jaskeerat Pandher
Bachelor’s, 2025 – Present
Daniel Forero
Bachelor’s, 2025 – Present
Alumni (Graduate & Postdoctoral)
These individuals made up and brought us what we are now known as! The IDEA-LAB! The best lab!
Kateryna Zakharova
2024, MASc Mechanical Engineering, “Developed AI Tracking for in-situ 3D bioprinting”
Elli Gkouti, PhD
Postdoctoral Visitor, 2019 – 2024
Elastomers
Burak Yenigun, PhD
Postdoctoral Visitor, 2019 – 2024
Elastomers
Muhammad Salman Chaudhry, PhD
2024, PhD Mechanical Engineering,
Developing a nonplanar 3D Bioprinting platform for in-situ bioprinting on a mobile target
2016, MASc Mechanical Engineering,
On The Characterization of Engineered Elastomers at High Strain Rates
Victoria Horvath
2024, MASc Mechanical Engineering,
FRESH Printing of Multilayer Composite Cardiac Wall
Usman Ali
2023, MASc Mechanical Engineering,
Aligned Nanofibers Masks for Improved Filter Efficiency and Pressure Drop
2020, BEng Mechanical Engineering,
Mechanical Testing of Elastomers and 3D Printed Products
Ahmed Alaa
2023, MASc Mechanical Engineering,
Topology Optimization of 3D Printing Paths using Machine Learning
Mr. Mohamed Abdelhamid
2023, PhD Mechanical Engineering,
Topology Optimization of High-Fidelity Fluid-Structure Interaction Problems
2016, MASc Mechanical Engineering,
Effective Mechanical Properties of 3D Structural Metamaterials
Daphene Solis
2023, PhD Mechanical Engineering,
4D Bioprintable Thermo-Responsible Hydrogel for Tissue Engineering
Ahmed Al-Attar
2021, MASc Mechanical Engineering,
Manufacturing, Characterization and Modeling of Helical Electrospun Fibers for Cardiac Tissue Engineering
Ahmed Bayoumy
2021, MASc Mechanical Engineering,
Topology and Printing Orientation Optimization of Orthotropic Material for Additive Manufacturing
Can Zhang
2021, MASc Mechanical Engineering,
Experimental Investigation of the Fatigue Behaviour of Natural Rubber Under Different Loading and Environment Conditions
Carlos Rojas
2020, MASc Mechanical Engineering,
Characterization and Impact of Thermal Conductivity of Stainless Steel 316L Employed in Additive Manufacturing
Madhukar Somireddy
(2019 – 2020), Post-Doctoral Fellow,
“Multiscale Material Modelling of Additively Manufactured Laminates”
2019, PhD Mechanical Engineering,
“Computational Modelling of Additively Manufactured Composite Parts”
Dr. Volodymyr Zozulya, Visiting Professor
Visiting Professor, 2017 – 2018
Characterization of Elastomers in Tension and Compression at Elevated Temperature Conditions.
Diego Augusto de Moraes
2018, MASc Mechanical Engineering,
Thermal FE Analysis of Powder Bed Fusion Process: Power Input Evaluation and Parameter Sensitivity
![](http://www.idea-lab.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Saeed-Assarzdeh-Headshot-300x300.png"")
Dr. Saeed Assarzadeh,
Post-Doctoral Visitor
Saeed Assarzadeh earned his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from K.N. Toosi University of Technology in 2015. His research focuses on the modeling, analysis, and optimization of manufacturing processes—both traditional and nontraditional—using statistical methods, artificial intelligence, finite element analysis, and metaheuristic algorithms. He joined the IDEA Lab in December 2017 to collaborate on a joint research project with a leading manufacturer of industrial wheels and casters. The project aims to identify key design parameters and develop statistical models to enhance product performance and efficiency across various criteria.
Dr. Taisiya Sigaeva
Postdoctoral Visitor, 2015 – 2016
Nonlinear Mechanical Behavior of Elastomer Nanocylinders; Multiaxial Fatigue of Elastomers, Arterial Wall Mechanics. Development of a Thermal Energy Storage engineering case stud
Dr. Andrew Lambe
Postdoctoral Visitor, 2015 – 2015
Adaptive Mesh Refinement Approach to Structural Topology Optimization
Alumni: Undergraduate
Omar Almufleh
BEng, 2025
Developed a multiplatform, controlled rotary system and broke everything
Gaith Al-Adwan
BEng, 2025
Developed a multiplatform, controlled rotary system and looked at trees all day
Roozbeh Alishahian
BEng, 2023
Development of Software Tools for Image Analysis for 3D Bioprinting Tracks and High-Speed Tension Tests
Sofia Graci
BEng, 2023
Development and Preparation of BioInks for 3D Bioprinting
Zia Ansari
BEng, 2022
Characterization of the Elastomers in Tension and Compression at Elevated Temperature Conditions
Rayen Alseekh
BEng, 2024
Characterization of the Elastomers in Tension and Compression at Elevated Temperature Conditions
Raihan Sheikh
BEng, 2023
Characterization of the Elastomers in Tension and Compression at Elevated Temperature Conditions
Farouk Wahsh
BEng, 2019
The Effect of High Strain Rate on the Piezo Properties of Elastomers with Carbon Nanotubes
Akash Oommen
BEng, 2019
Kolsky Bar Tension Compression Apparatus and Testing Methodology
Chukwubuikem Johnson Omeziri
BEng, 2018
High Strain-Rate Behavior of Mechanoluminescent Material
Dispersed in a Soft Matrix
Sean Polan
BEng, 2018
Elastomer Specified Bi-axial Fatigue Testing System
Arslan Javed
BEng, 2018
Equibiaxial Tension Machine and Testing Apparatus
Alumni: International Trainee
Sara Kapuscinska
AGH University of Science and Technology
Rybnik, Poland
May 2017 – August 2017
“Analysis and Design of Physical Filter in High Strain Rate Experiments”
Sara Kapuścińska entered her 4th year of Mechatronic Engineering at AGH University of Science and Technology in Cracow, Poland. She spent the summer at York University as a research assistant under the supervision of Dr. Alex Czekanski, in the IDEA-Lab. Specifically, Sara conducted experiments using Kolsky bar to determine the most optimal specifications for different pulse shaping techniques and by the end of the summer, hoped to have furthered the research to gain the optimized pulse shaper design in order to generate modified profile with constant rate of deformation of the input pulse that influences stress strain data for a particular type of tested material. This was important for better understanding of the characterisation of materials at high-strain rate and to develop dynamic tests with Kolsky bar system.
Edouard Gaschet
CESI Saint-Nazaire, Ecole d’Ingénieurs
Nantes, France
May 2017 – August 2017
“Aging Effect in Additive Manufactured Composite Materials”
Edouard Gaschet was an Industrialization Engineering student at the EI.CESI School of Engineering at Saint-Nazaire, in France. He spent the summer working as a research assistant under the supervision of Dr. Alex Czekanski in the IDEA-Lab. Edouard was working on a research topic in which he manufactured and tested the mechanical properties of elastomers with carbon fiber manufactured by fused deposition modeling technique in 3D printing. He is responsible for designing and testing ABS, PLA, and TPU materials with 20% of carbon fiber. He is also responsible for different tests: compression (on MTS), immersion, air oven, tribology, and hardness. This research is important because it gives the opportunity to discover the field of the research and will offer related skills.
Cezary Kirczuk
AGH University of Science and Technology
Krakow, Poland
June 2019 – September 2019
“Mechanical and Structure Properties of Boiler Grade Steel”
Cezary Kirczuk was a Heat Engineering student at the AGH University of Science and Technology in Krakow, Poland. During the summer, he joined Dr. Alex Czekanski’s IDEA-LAB as a research trainee. His work focused on experimental investigations of boiler-grade steel alloys rich in chromium, nickel, and molybdenum—materials proposed for their favorable combination of high-temperature strength, creep resistance, thermal conductivity, and corrosion resistance. Cezary examined the mechanical behavior of these materials following high-temperature exposure, aiming to characterize their suitability for applications in the energy sector. His study contributed to the advancement of materials research critical to the evolving demands of the energy industry.