The University of Waterloo is home to Canada’s largest additive manufacturing academic lab with more than $25 million in infrastructure and a growing roster of industry partners.
Led by Waterloo Engineering alum Dr. Mihaela Vlasea (BASc ’08, PhD ’14) and Dr. Ehsan Toyserkani, both professors in the Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, the Multi-Scale Additive Manufacturing (MSAM) Lab iand its team of graduate students transform industries from aviation to health care with innovative research.
Vlasea’s path to MSAM co-director began when a high-school teacher encouraged her to join Waterloo’s inaugural mechatronics program. A co-op term in Toyserkani’s lab ignited her passion for research and 3D printing and steered her towards advanced manufacturing.
After earning her PhD, Vlasea worked at the U.S. National Institute for Standards and Technology before returning to Waterloo.
“I kept my mind open and thought I would love to go back to academia because that's where I thought I could innovate and learn at the same time,” Vlasea said. “A lot of times in industry, you can innovate, but you're always giving back, as opposed to continuously learning.
“I'm glad I was able to help put important bricks in the already-strong foundation in place at Waterloo and grow it from there, along with my colleagues.”
Vlasea holds the Canada Research Chair in sustainable additive manufacturing and works with Toyserkani to advance expertise in this sector through industry and academic partnerships.
Go to From co-op to world-class research expert for the full story.