The Powder Technology Laboratory at San Diego State University is dedicated to advancing the fundamental science and engineering of powder-based materials processing.
Under the leadership of Prof. Eugene Olevsky and Prof. Elisa Torresani, the laboratory conducts research in sintering science, powder consolidation, spark plasma sintering, additive manufacturing, and the characterization and modeling of metallic,ceramic, and composite materials. By integrating experimental investigation with computational analysis, the lab seeks to deepen the understanding of powder processing phenomena and enable the development of high-performance materials for advanced engineering applications.
PTL researchers are currently undertaking projects on various research topics including:
Mathematical Modeling and Computer Simulations of Sintering Processes
Fundamental Experimental Investigations of Spark Plasma Sintering Process
Interested in becoming part of the PTL Family? Ph.D. and MS student positions in Mechanical, Aerospace and Computational Sciences are offered in the Powder Technology Laboratory – a world leading center in sintering research at the San Diego State University. Ph.D. projects will be of an interdisciplinary nature focused on the experimental or computational materials science. The successful applicants should have strong academic records and should be highly motivated to conduct experimentation or mathematical modeling and simulation on real-world processing of novel material systems for a number of cutting-edge technological applications.
August 10-11, 2026Prof.Olevsky participated in the MGI Principal Investigators’ Meeting in Washington, DC.
July 31, 2026Dr.Grippi has been selected for the position of Chargé de Recherche at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and will begin the new role on October 1. Congratulations, Dr.Grippi!
March 16–19, 2026An Honorary Symposium, “Advancing the Frontier of Powder Materials Processing and Sintering: An MPMD/EPD Symposium in Honor of Eugene Olevsky,” was held during the TMS 2026 Annual Meeting & Exhibition in San Diego, CA, recognizing Prof. Olevsky’s contributions to sintering science and powder materials processing. Prof. Torresani, who served as an organizer, Dr. Jiang, Dr. Maximenko, and Ph.D. students Skinner and Ghorbani participated in the symposium.
March 11–12, 2026Prof.Torresani participated in the DMREF-AFRL Principal Investigators’ Meeting in Dayton, OH.
Satterlee, N., Jiang, R., Torresani, E., Grippi, T., Maximenko, A., van Maris, M.P.F.H.L., Giuntini, D., Olevsky, E., Kang, J.S., 2026.Machine learning-driven characterization of anisotropic microstructures in powder-based additive manufactured metal parts.Progress in Additive Manufacturing.
Ng, S., Torresani, E., Han, E., Wong, Y.R., Soo, J.Y., Ong, H.S., Abusayf, M.M., Look, Z., Catbagan, K., Barathi, V.A. and Olevsky, E.A., 2026.Spark plasma sintered titania-graphene oxide: A toothless keratoprosthesis for end-stage corneal blindness.Biomaterials. p.124403
Narvasa, A., Grippi, T., Torresani,E., Cortes, D. and Miletić, M., 2026. Impact of extreme thermal cycling on the physical and mechanical properties of lunar regolith simulant densified via spark plasma sintering, cold isostatic pressing, and biopolymer bonding using Xanthan Gum.Case Studies in Construction Materials. e06142
Ghorbani, M., Maximenko, A., Tavares, S.S., Torresani, E. and Olevsky, E., 2026. Robocast Hydroxyapatite Scaffolds: Structure, Mechanical Performance, and Bioactivity Tailored by Sintering.Journal of Materials Research and Technology. 42, pp.4670-4686
Grippi, T., Maximenko, A., Jiang, R., Olumor, D., Torresani, E. and Olevsky, E., 2026. Rapid sintering for enhancing mechanical properties of cold-sprayed Al6061 and SS316L.Manufacturing Letters. 42, pp.4670-4686
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