Dr. Willian Carvalho

Lead cross-functional international tech projects, setting governance, priorities, milestones, and managing risks and stakeholders. Lead IP protection across projects, working with experts to identify and position innovations. Manage relationships with stakeholders and international partners, aligning priorities and driving innovation. Coordinate CAPEX investments, defending business cases to secure approval. Coordinate recruitment of temporary and permanent staff, including interviewing, and hiring input.

Led four Austrian/EU research funding proposals, defining scope, governance, and work packages, and building consortia. Managed three industrial R&D projects and delivered a technical expert report for a legal dispute, aligning stakeholders and resources. Supervised nine students (six master's, three bachelor's theses); presented at 15+ national/international conferences. Conducted multidisciplinary R&D in additive manufacturing, hybrid joining, materials characterization, and simulation.

• Equipment development and processes optimization for the production of automotive sensors, such as MAP, TPS and oxygen sensors. • Welding parameters optimization by statistical design of experiments (DoE). • Development of a stacking machine for the production of different sensors. • Optimization of automated assembling processes of different sensors to increase the production rate.

• Led R&D in multi-material joining for automotive/aerospace, integrating solid-state welding, adhesives, testing, and simulation for advanced structural solutions. • Optimized aluminum–steel solid-state welding using Design of Experiments; translated findings into an integrated multi-material aircraft demonstrator. • Contributed to ISO 18785 (Friction Stir Spot Welding, Aluminum) standardization through technical input.

• Advanced predictive simulation capabilities for long-glass-fiber-reinforced polyamides by linking injection-molding parameters, material microstructure, and structural performance. • Enhanced and experimentally validated numerical models for fiber orientation and fiber-length degradation, improving the reliability of engineering design and material-performance predictions.

• Improved simulation and experimental validation methods for machining processes, integrating residual-stress prediction with force, temperature, surface-quality, and hardness measurements to support process optimization across multiple materials.

• Conducted research on amorphous and biomedical alloys and surface coatings, combining alloy processing with multidisciplinary materials characterization to assess microstructure, thermal behavior, and mechanical performance.

• Led the Baja SAE structure and modeling team, coordinating structural design and finite element analysis to develop a competition-ready off-road vehicle.

• Supported reliable manufacturing operations by performing equipment maintenance and precision machining of mechanical components.

- Specialization: Composite, polymer and metallic materials; Additive manufacturing; Solid-state and friction-based welding and joining techniques; Materials characterization. - PhD Thesis: Ultrasonic joining of additively manufactured metal-composite hybrid for aircraft structures.

- Specialization: Metallic materials. - Exchange student for 2 semesters sponsored by the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES). - Master Thesis: Analysis of residual stress generated by multiple cuts in the 18CrNiMo7-6 steel.

- Specialization: Composite and metallic materials. - Master Thesis: Simulation and experimental verification of mechanical properties of injection-molded 50% and 60% long-glass-fiber-reinforced polyamide-66 composites.