The SBCF Team

Dilpreet Bajwa

Interim Director

Dr. Bajwa’s is a Professor and Department Head of the M&IE Department.  He has a M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.  Dr. Bajwa's research aims to understand and quantify the forming behavior of stretch broken and continuous carbon fiber based composites at varying temperatures and for complex geometries. Understanding the fundamental material properties such as true stress and true strain can help to model and predict the mechanical properties of stretch broken carbon fiber composites for various commercial applications.    

Doug Cairns

Senior Research Professor

Doug Cairns is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering of the Mechanical & Industrial Engineering Department at MSU and Director of the SBCF Program. Prior to coming to MSU, he was Manager of Composites Technology at Hercules Materials Company (Now Hexcel) where he conducted research on composite materials applied to primary structure. He has a B.S. and M.S. from the University of Wyoming, and a Ph.D. in Aeronautics and Astronautics the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  

Cambrie Monfort

Program Manager
Cambrie is the Program Manager for the SBCF Program. She has a B.S. in Bioengineering from Arizona State University, a M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Davis and a MBA from The Ohio State University.

Chris Ridgard

Technical Program Manager

Chris is the Technical Program Manager for the SBCF Program.  He has a M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from University of Manchester, UK.  Chris has 43 years of experience in the aerospace and composite material supply industries and was a Technical Fellow with Cytec/Solvay prior to joining the MSU SBCF team.

Roberta Amendola

Associate Professor
Roberta is the Task 5 Leader and an Associate Professor in the M&IE Department.  Her research focuses on both fundamental and applied research into materials degradation and durability in extreme environments for energy, power, and propulsion.

Cecily Ryan

Associate Professor

Dr. Ryan is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering of the Mechanical & Industrial Engineering Department at MSU.  She has a B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a M.S. in Applied Physics from the California Institue of Technology and a Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Stanford University.

Wyatt Chestunut

Research Engineer

Wyatt Chestnut is a Research Engineer working on the SBCF project at MSU.  He holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from MSU and an M.S. in Aerospace Engineering from North Carolina State University.

 

Jacob Fricke

Research Technician 

Jacob Fricke is an Engineering Technician with a 10-year history of building and running advanced machines. He is actively expanding his technical expertise by pursuing a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering Technology to pair his extensive practical background with rigorous modern engineering concepts. His core passion lies in the direct, hands-on optimization of mechanical equipment, ensuring optimal performance and innovation on every project.

 

Margaux Mesle

Research Scientist

Dr. Mesle is a Research Scientist in the Mechanical & Industrial Engineering Department at MSU. She has a B.S. in Biochemistry, a M.S. in Microbial Ecology, and a Ph.D. in Geomicrobiology from the University of Lyon, France. Her research at MSU since 2013 has been applied to biotechnologies -involving microbiology and analytical chemistry - to study the biodegradation of organic polymers using microbes isolated from natural environments. In the SBCF group, she is currently involved in analytical QC testing using chemistry, imaging, and spectroscopy techniques.

Luke Middelstadt

Research Engineer

Luke graduated from MSU in 2019 with degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering Technology. He worked as a manufacturing engineer for a small carbon fiber bicycle company for six years before joining the SBCF team as a Research Engineer.  His work focuses on the development of manufacturing techniques specific to SBCF prepregs. 

 

Daniel Samborsky

Research Associate

Dan is a Research Engineer and Instructor in the Mechanical & Industrial Engineering Department at MSU.  He holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and a M.S. in Civil Engineering from Montana State University and is a Professional Engineer.  Dan's research focuses on failure analyses and composite material fatigue.

Dan Schwendtner

Research Engineer

Dan Schwendtner is a Research Engineer whose work focuses on the integration of automation into novel stretch breaking and composite manufacturing processes.  Prior to working for the SBCF program, he was the Mechanical Team Lead for the Automotive Group at Blackmore Sensors and Analytics in Bozeman (now Aurora Innovation).  He has a B.S. in Physics from Augsburg University and a M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Montana State University.

Casey Spaulding

Research Engineer

Casey is a Research Engineer for the SBCF Program. He holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Montana State University, and a B.S. in Diesel Technology from Montana State University Northern. Casey's interests lie in machine design and propulsion systems particularly surrounding alternative energy sources like biofuels.

Cooper Williams

Research Engineer

Cooper Williams is a Research Engineer whose work focuses on SBCF forming of complex geometries. He holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Northern Arizona University and an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from MSU.

Skyler Chandler

Graduate Student

Skyler Chandler is a master's student whose work focuses on adapting ultrasonic welding equipment to improve the forming of stretch broken carbon fiber. He graduated from the University of Utah with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering in 2025.

Tyler Gilman

Graduate Student

Tyler Gilman graduated with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from MSU in 2026. He is currently working towards his Master of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering. His work focuses on the development and optimization of the production process for stretch-broken carbon fiber material.

Joseph Kerr

Graduate Student

Joseph received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from MSU in 2025 and is currently working towards his M.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering. His research focuses on understanding the forming capabilities of stretch broken carbon fiber by manufacturing and evaluating parts. His interest in composite materials stems from his passion for mountain biking and other outdoor sports.

El-Freda Kugbajor

Graduate Student

El-Freda Narh Kugbajor received her B.S. in Materials Engineering from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Ghana.  She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Materials Science at Montana State University. Her research focuses on the micromechanical characterization of stretch-broken carbon fiber composites, with particular interest in understanding how the stretch-breaking process influences fiber strength, fracture behavior, and fiber–matrix interfacial properties.

Ethan Ashwood

Undergraduate Student

Chloe Baxter

Undergraduate Student

Victor Markel

Undergraduate Student

Theodore Beebe

Graduate Student

Theodore graduated from Montana State University in 2020 with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and a minor in Aerospace Engineering. He is currently working on his Master's in Mechanical Engineering. Presently, his research is aiding the characterization of stretch broken carbon fiber.

Andrew Dockter

Graduate Student

Andrew is a Materials Science Ph.D. student working on characterizing the strength of single carbon fibers. He earned his B.S. in Chemical Engineering at University of North Dakota. 

Madison Dube

Graduate Student
Madison graduated from MSU with a M.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering in 2023 and is currently working as a Project Engineer at Janicki Industries in Sedro-Woolley, WA. 

Matt Egloff

Graduate Student

After four years as a U.S. Army artilleryman, Matt Egloff graduated from MSU-Bozeman with a MS in Electrical Engineering in 1997. He is a senior, tenured, faculty member at Montana Tech and a Ph.D. student at MSU Bozeman where he is researching stretch-broken carbon fiber composites.

Dimantha Samarajeew  Kottawa Gamage

Graduate Student

Dimantha S. Kottawa Gamage received his B.S. in Management and Information Technology from University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka. He has served in the industry for 5 years as a lean practitioner and a change agent. Currently, he is working on his Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering with research focusing on set-based concurrent engineering.

Joseph Janicki

Graduate Student
Joe graduated from MSU with a M.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering in 2021 and is currently working as a Project Engineer III at Janicki Industries in Sedro-Woolley, WA. 

Noah Loomis

Graduate Student
Noah graduated from MSU with a M.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering in 2022 and is currently working as a Composite Mechanical Test Engineer for Booz Allen Hamilton in Dayton, OH.

Dalton Nold

Graduate Student
Dalton graduated from MSU with a M.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering in 2023 and is currently working as a Design Engineer for Boeing in Everett, WA.

Tasnia Javin Nur

Graduate Student

Tasnia graduated in 2016 with BSc in Materials & Metallurgical Engineering and is currently working on her Ph.D. in Material Science, with research focusing on understanding frictional behavior of carbon fiber composites during forming.

Riad Morshed Rezaul

Graduate Student

Riad Rezaul is a master’s student in the Materials Science program at Montana State University- Bozeman. His research focuses on sizing application to stretch broken carbon fiber.

Yoni Shchemelinin

Graduate Student

Yoni graduated from University of California, Merced in 2016 with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. He is currently working on his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, with research focusing on stretch broken carbon fiber formability.