Wenwu Shi, PhD, PE

•Refractory Ceramics: Design and source refractory for molten oxide electrolysis (MOE) cells for carbon emission free green steel and ferroalloy refinings from tailings/wastes, to ensure proper cell thermal balance, safe containment of corrosive electrolytes, and cell structural integrity. Utilize simulation tools (COMSOL and Solidworks) for heat transfer and structural analysis, develop novel methods for testing refractory and molten electrolyte compatibility, and perform post-mortem analysis for design iterations and improvement. •Refractory Metals: Collaborate with suppliers from the supply chain (metal powder, cold isostatic pressing, hot isostatic pressing, machining, and coating) for manufacturing large anodes made with refractory metals used in electrolysis cells. Understand effects of raw materials and manufacturing steps on final materials properties (mechanical properties, oxidation/nitridation resistance, corrosion resistance, and creep).

✓Refractory: Develop new recipes and improve current recipes of refractory products through design of experiments, study the formation mechanism and effect of processing parameters (selection of raw materials, mixing, granulation, isopressing, extrusion, sintering/firing) on final properties including high temperature strength, thermal shock, and corrosion resistance at extreme conditions. Leading and participating in several NPI (new product introduction) projects. ✓Process development and engineering: Closely working with four plants across different international regions on process development, including improving the product consistency through data-driven six sigma and 8D PPS methodologies. Study the product performance via Weibull statistics. Proficient with Minitab data analysis and various Python packages. ✓Failure analysis: Conduct defect analysis on casting defects and provide technical recommendations by collaborating with sale and marketing teams. ✓Modeling: Implement FEA modelings (ABAQUS) and validate computational results including heat transfer (conductive, convective, radiation, induction heating), thermal stress, and materials failure (fatigue, creep, impact, and fracture). Optimize both the geometrical design (Altair Hyperstudy) and material properties for new product development. Utilize OpenFoam package for molten metal flow field calculation. ✓Metal cleanliness: Develop standard procedures to quantify the cleanliness of metal pieces (Al alloy, Grey iron, Ductile iron, Steel, Super alloy etc) through the automated SEM/EDX system (ASPEX) and improve the metal cleanliness through filtration, melt treatment, and metallurgical control. ✓Composite: Lightweight composite materials for high temperature applications. Study the effects of processing parameters such as types of resin, filler, fibers, curing, firing on final properties. Study the failure mechanisms at high temperature and/or corrosive environment.

• Designed and optimized a chemical vapor deposition furnace for growth of high quality carbon nanotubes and graphene using design of experiments (DOE). • Studied deposition and growth mechanism of functional thin film by magnetron sputtering for development of photocatalyst with high efficiency and low cost. • Improved capacity of carbon nanotubes supercapacitor by plasma treatment. • Synthesized temperature/light sensitive polymer for drug delivery with controlled rate and site. • Taught labs and lectures on material manufacturing and mechanical behavior of materials. • Mentored undergraduate students and high school students in lab.

• Key Intern tasked with collecting and organizing manufacturing data for daily reports. • Maintained continuous aluminum electrolysis and took effective actions for anode effect. • Worked on the continuous aluminum casting mill (foil and coil).

• Gained experience on production of zinc, tin, and indium, and trained on industrial safety.

2012 Graduate Council Fellowship, University of Alabama 2011 Third Place on Student Competition in Symposium “Surfaces and Heterostructures at Nano- or Micro-Scale and Their Characterization, Properties, and Applications” on TMS 2010 Best Poster Presentation in MINT Center Fall Review in University of Alabama

2008 Outstanding Graduate of Hunan Province 2008 Zhao Tiancong Scholarship, Central South University 2007 National Scholarship, Central South University 2007 Outstanding Award at 2007 National English Contest for College Students (NECCS) 2006 Diamond Scholarship from Zhuzhou Cemented Carbide Group Co., LTD., Central South University