Clayton Cooper

Dr. Clayton Cooper is an Assistant Professor of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering at Miami University. He holds a Ph.D., M.S., and B.S.E. in Mechanical Engineering from Case Western Reserve University (2024, 2020, 2020 respectively). His research focuses on physics-informed machine learning (PIML) for manufacturing process modeling, digital twin enablement, and explainable AI applications. He leads projects in machine learning-driven deformation prediction in sheet metal forming, computer vision-based digital twins, and novel PIML methods for manufacturing.

• Education:
  • Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, 2024
  • M.S., Mechanical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, 2020
  • B.S.E., Mechanical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, 2020

Research Interests: Dr. Cooper's work integrates ML with manufacturing physics to improve process observability. He develops PIML frameworks for quality prediction in machining, directed energy deposition, and human-robot collaboration. His methods include multi-sensor fusion, GAN-based signal synthesis, and Shapley additive explanations for model interpretability.

Publications: His recent work spans journals like Journal of Manufacturing Systems and conferences such as NAMRC, with notable contributions to deformation prediction and anomaly detection in machining. Key achievements include an Outstanding Paper Award (2024) and a Student Research Presentation Award (2023).

• Awards:
  • Outstanding Paper Award at NAMRC 52 (2024)
  • Student Research Presentation Award at NAMRC 51 (2023)

Teaching: He instructs MME 231: Manufacturing Processes. His lab collaborates with industry partners on smart manufacturing and federated learning for privacy-preserving collaboration. Current projects include digital twin development for real-time process monitoring in additive manufacturing.