Albert To

Albert To is a Professor at the Swanson School of Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, where he holds the William Kepler Whiteford Professorship. He serves as Director of both the MOST-AM Consortium and the ANSYS Additive Manufacturing Research Laboratory. Since joining Pitt in 2008, he has advanced from assistant to associate (2014) and full professor (2019).

• Education: BS, MS, and PhD from UC Berkeley; MS from MIT
• Postdoctoral Research: Northwestern University with Wing Kam Liu

Dr. To's primary research interests center around design optimization for additive manufacturing, multiscale methods, and computational mechanics. His work focuses on fast process modeling and topology optimization for metal additive manufacturing. He directs the ANSYS Additive Manufacturing Research Laboratory, which houses advanced metal 3D printers including EOS DMLS, Optomec LENS, and ExOne binder jetting systems. In 2016, he founded the MOST-AM Consortium, which now includes over 30 member companies and research labs collaborating on additive manufacturing research.

His research has been consistently supported by major funding agencies including NASA, DOD, DOE, NSF, America Makes, and industry partners like ANSYS. The recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on addressing key challenges in metal additive manufacturing processes, particularly laser powder bed fusion and wire-arc directed energy deposition technologies. His work spans from fundamental process modeling to practical applications in materials science and mechanical engineering.

• NSF BRIGE Award (2009)
• Air Force Summer Faculty Fellowship (2009)
• Board of Visitors Faculty Award (2016)
• Carnegie Science Award (2018)
• Best Student Paper Award, 46th Acoustic Emission Working Group Meeting (2003)

Dr. To has secured substantial research funding from government agencies and industry partners to advance additive manufacturing technologies. His MOST-AM Consortium facilitates collaboration between academia and industry, accelerating the translation of research findings into practical applications. He has advised numerous graduate students who have contributed to his extensive publication record in top journals.

His laboratory at the University of Pittsburgh is equipped with state-of-the-art metal 3D printing systems, enabling both fundamental research and applied development in additive manufacturing. The MOST-AM Consortium provides a framework for industry collaboration, ensuring research addresses real-world challenges in the field.