Alex Tiliță, PhD

Leading development of in-process phononic control systems for metal additive manufacturing, focused on fatigue-critical and qualification-constrained applications Demonstrating improvements in ductility, defect behavior, and microstructural consistency across steels, titanium, and nickel-based alloys Driving integration of hardware, controls, and experimental validation into existing metal AM platforms Engaging industrial users to evaluate whether in-process control can reduce reliance on post-process heat treatment and re-qualification

Led research into ultrasonic-assisted selective laser melting, studying how high-frequency vibrations influence melt pool dynamics and microstructure formation Built the first functional prototype of what became MatterWave’s phononic hardware module Initiated early development of closed-loop control concepts for adaptive ultrasonic input during metal AM Bridged academic validation and early commercialization by translating lab results into a system-level architecture

Designed and launched a month-long innovation and venture formation program combining design thinking and startup validation Secured sponsorships from industry partners including Microsoft, AIA, Arrow Electronics, and HKSTP Supported the formation of 10+ early-stage startups through structured ideation and evaluation

Sold telecom solutions to international B2C and B2B customers in a high-volume sales environment Consistently ranked among top-performing sales professionals, setting individual and departmental performance records Built and managed customer portfolios while contributing to sustained revenue growth

Research focus: ultrasonic-assisted metal additive manufacturing and microstructure control Developed and validated experimental systems for phononic excitation during metal AM Recipient of the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme Honorable Mention, HKUST × Google “Solve for X”