Barbara Linke

Barbara Linke is a Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of California Davis, affiliated with the College of Engineering. She leads the Laboratory for Manufacturing and Sustainable Technologies Research (MASTeR) and serves as Principal Investigator at the Advanced Highway Maintenance and Construction Technology (AHMCT) Research Center. Her research focuses on sustainable manufacturing processes, abrasive machining, and smart manufacturing technologies, with applications in aerospace, biomedical, and automotive sectors.

Dr. Linke holds a Dr.-Ing. habil. and has been recognized with the UC Davis Chancellor’s Fellow (2021-2022) and the Outstanding Junior Faculty Award from the College of Engineering. She advises the UC Davis Student Chapter of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) and the Women Machinists’ Club. She collaborates with the Fire Research Group at UC Berkeley and the Wildfires Research Working Group at UC Davis, integrating sustainability into wildfire-related infrastructure projects.

Her research interests include energy-efficient manufacturing systems, lifecycle assessments, and the integration of Industry 4.0 technologies. Notable contributions include developing frameworks for sustainable additive and subtractive manufacturing, analyzing residual stresses in aluminum alloys, and advancing mobile 3D printing for disaster response. Her work bridges engineering education with cutting-edge research, emphasizing hands-on projects like the Shigley Hauler design competition.

Dr. Linke’s labs and affiliations include the Materials Decarbonization and Sustainability Center and the UC Davis AI Center in Engineering, reflecting her commitment to interdisciplinary innovation. She has authored over 50 peer-reviewed articles, with recent focus on smart manufacturing systems, renewable energy integration in machining, and sustainable biomedical implant production.