Thorsten Wuest

Thorsten Wuest is a Full Professor in Mechanical Engineering at the University of South Carolina's Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing. Recognized as one of SME's 20 most influential professors in smart manufacturing, he leads research in Industry 4.0 applications.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Production Engineering, University of Bremen (Summa Cum Laude)
• M.Sc. in Industrial Engineering and Management, University of Bremen
• Master of Professional Business Studies, AUT University Auckland

His research integrates AI/ML with industrial systems, focusing on smart manufacturing, digital twins, and hybrid analytics. Current projects span federated learning for distributed manufacturing, gamification in industrial assembly, and energy digital twins.

Recent publications demonstrate strong emphasis on time-series analytics (40% of works) and human-centric manufacturing (30%). Research is funded by NSF, NIST, DoE, and international agencies.

Honors:

• Sloan Fellowship
• NSF Career Award
• Statler Outstanding Researcher Award
• Infinite Kilometer Award

Laboratory & Teams: Directs the Smart Manufacturing Lab with 15+ members including postdocs, PhD students, and undergraduates. Current collaborations involve Festo Didactic, Siemens, and international partners developing testbed-as-a-service platforms.