2026 Poster Award Winners

Component-Level Thermal Management Track

BEST ON-SITE POSTERBEST E-POSTER
Impact of Die Substrate Properties on Peak Temperature of AlGaN HEMTs via Packaged-Level SimulationDesign and Experimental Development of a Laser-Ablated Wick Aluminum Vapor Chamber for SiC MOSFET Thermal Management in EV Fast-Charger Convertors
Francis Vasquez (University of Connecticut)Muhammad Awais (University of Minho)

SYSTEM-LEVEL AND DATA CENTER Thermal Management Track

BEST ON-SITE POSTERBEST E-POSTER
Mitigation of Flow Boiling Instabilities via Active Flow ControTowards 1 MW Data Center Racks: System-Level Modeling of a Membrane-Assisted Two-Phase Cooling Architecture
Daksh Adhikari (Georgia Institute of Technology)Roshith Mittakolu (University of Maryland at College Park)

MECHANICS & RELIABILITY Track

BEST ON-SITE POSTERBEST E-POSTER
Effect of Thermal Cycling on the Microstructure and Creep Response of Lead-free BGA PackagesDesign of a Metrology Tool to Evaluate Degradation of
Thermal Greases with Dynamic Warpage
Seiyefa Vincent (Auburn University)Sabina Bimali (Purdue University)

EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES & FUNDAMENTALS TRACK

BEST ON-SITE POSTERBEST E-POSTER
Materials Selection and Processing for Tunable Superlyophilic – Superlyophobic SurfacesEnhanced Pool Boiling Performance using Self-Organized Laser Functionalization (SOLF) of Copper in a Dielectric Fluid
Chance Brewer (University of Central Florida)Mohamed Marey (University of Nebraska-Lincoln)

2026 IEEE EPS/ASME K16 Student Additive Manufacturing Heat Sink Design Competition

WINNING TEAM
Team MicroAero
University of Nottingham Ningbo China

Prior Student Poster Award Winners

2025 Poster Award Winners

  • Best Overall Poster
    • Zekun Wu (Purdue University), “Topology optimization for embedded cooling of multiple and transient workloads in 3D semiconductor packages”
  • Best Posters
    • Component-Level Thermal Management
      • Devank Tavkari (Purdue University), “Multiphysics Topology Optimization of Metal-Polymer Composite Thermal Interface Materials”
    • System-Level Thermal Management
      • Oscar Alvarez Lemus (University of Toronto), “Predicting multiscale thermal transport in high-capacity pouch-type lithium-ion batteries for stationary energy storage systems”
    • Mechanics & Reliability
      • Ritwik Kulkarni (Purdue University), “Impact of Non-Flat Heat Sink Surface on Degradation of Thermal Greases”
    • Emerging Technologies & Fundamentals
      • Ishan Tandon (Purdue University), “Fabrication and experimental evaluation of bendable copper flat-plate oscillating heat pipe”
  • Runner-up Posters
    • Component-Level Thermal Management
      • Naarendharan Meenakshi Sundaram (UCLA), “Flash boiling of methanol/water mixtures in a microchannel cooler”
    • System-Level Thermal Management
      • Derian Morphew (Texas A&M University), “Rate of Thermal Energy Storage in Composite Phase Change Material Slabs”
    • Mechanics & Reliability
      • Yunli Zhang (Auburn University), “Thermal Conductivity Evolution of Non-PFAS Automotive Packaging Material under High Temperature and Humidity Exposure”
      • Padmanava Choudhury (Auburn University), “Humidity and High-temperature Effects on non-PFAS Thermal Interface and Underfill Materials”
    • Emerging Technologies & Fundamentals
      • Priyanka Viswanath (University of Michigan, Ann-Arbor), “Pool boiling enhancement using engineered nucleation sites”
      • Zane Oligee (Auburn University), “An Experimental Study of the Thermal-Hydraulic Performance of an Additively Manufactured Mini-Channel Cold Plate”

2025 IEEE EPS/ASME K16 Student Additive Manufacturing Heat Sink Design Competition

  • Winning Team
    • MSAM-MDAM Design Team (University of Waterloo)
  • Runner-up Team
    • Team Chilly Platter (University of Bristol)

2024 Poster Award Winners

  • Best Overall Poster
    • G. Prudhvi Reddy (University of California Davis), “Assessment of Bubble Pump Model for Fluid Directional Motion From Asymmetric Heated Ratchets”
  • Best Posters
    • Component-Level Thermal Management
      • Ryan Regan (Purdue University), “Comparison between Direct Winding Heat Exchanger and Slot-liner Confined Evaporative Cooling of Electric Motor”
    • System-Level Thermal Management
      • Maharshi Shukla (Rochester Institute of Technology), Novel Subcooled Boiling Chamber with Submerged Condensation for High Heat Flux Removal for Data Center Application”
    • Mechanics & Reliability
      • Aathi Pandurangan (Auburn University), “Predictive Damage Modeling at Potted Electronic Assemblies under High G Shock Loads”
    • Emerging Technologies & Fundamentals
      • Trevor Whitaker (University of Utah), “Modification of Flow Boiling Regimes and Mechanisms in Near-Critical Flows”
  • Runner-up Posters
    • Component-Level Thermal Management
      • Zekun Wu (Purdue University), “Modeling of Backside Power Delivery and Thermal Management in Semiconductor Die Packages”
    • System-Level Thermal Management
      • Pandu Dewanatha and Demetrius Gulewicz (Purdue University), “Closed-Loop Analysis of Thermal Energy Storage Device Arrangement in a Thermal Management System”
    • Mechanics & Reliability
      • Vishal Mehta (Auburn University), “Temperature on the Reliability of Lead-Free Solder Joint Assemblies in Vibration”
      • Palash Vyas (Auburn University), “Reliability of SAC305 Alloy in Drop Shock at Elevated Temperature”
    • Emerging Technologies & Fundamentals
      • Sabina Bimali (Auburn University), “Advancing Sustainability in Printed Electronics: Low Temperature Interconnects and Water-Based Ink Performance”
      • Daniel Karakitie (Auburn University), “Repairability Of Additively Printed Circuits Using Sustainable Aqueous-Based Silver Nanoparticle Ink on Polyimide Substrates”

2024 IEEE EPS/ASME K16 Student Additive Manufacturing Heat Sink Design Competition

  • Winning Team
    • Crimson Peak (University of Utah)
  • Runner-up Team
    • Team ETH (Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich)

ITherm 2023

  • Best Overall Poster
    • Diego Vaca (Georgia Institute of Technology), “Temperature Dependent Thermal Properties of Thin Film Hafnium Oxide”
  • Best Posters
    • Component-Level Thermal Management
      • Carol Caceres (Villanova University),
    • System-Level Thermal Management
      • Falak Mandali (Purdue University), “Control Co-Design of a Thermal Management System
      • with Integrated Latent Thermal Energy Storage and a Logic-based Controller”
    • Mechanics & Reliability
      • Pranay P. Nagrani (Purdue University), “Influence of Thermal Cycling on Degradation Behavior of Thermal Greases”
    • Emerging Technologies & Fundamentals
      • Diego Vaca (Georgia Institute of Technology), “Temperature Dependent Thermal Properties of Thin Film Hafnium Oxide”
  • Outstanding Posters
    • Component-Level Thermal Management
      • Georg Elsinger (KU Leuven), “Micro-Scale Jet Cooling: A Numerical Study on Improvement Options”
    • System-Level Thermal Management
      • Joshua Palumbo (University of Toronto), “Implementation of a Topologically Optimized Heat Sink for Non-Uniform Heat Fluxes in an EV Fast-Charger”
      • Mechanics & Reliability
        • Ritwik Vijaykumar Kulkarni (Purdue University), “In situ Optical Observations of Degradation of Thermal Greases with Thermal Cycling”
      • Emerging Technologies & Fundamentals
        • Aalok Gaitonde (Purdue University), “Feasibility Assessment of Metrologies for Thermal Resistance Characterization of Deeply Buried Interfaces between Bonded Silicon Layers”

ITherm 2022

  • Best Overall Poster
    • Chetan Jois, Purdue University, “Phase Field Simulations of Solder Void Evolution under Thermal Aging”
  • Best Posters
    • Component-Level Thermal Management
      • Amitav Tikadar, Georgia Institute of Technology, “Comparison between Direct Winding Heat Exchanger and Slot-liner Confined Evaporative Cooling of Electric Motor”
    • System-Level Thermal Management
      • Tayler Shelly, Purdue University, “A Dynamic Co-Simulation Framework for the Analysis of Battery Electric Vehicle Thermal Management Systems”
    • Mechanics & Reliability
      • Chetan Jois, Purdue University, “Phase Field Simulations of Solder Void Evolution under Thermal Aging”
    • Emerging Technologies & Fundamentals
      • David Coenen, KU Leuven, “Circuit-level thermal modelling of Silicon Photonic Transceiver Array using Machine Learning”
  • Outstanding Posters
    • Component-Level Thermal Management
      • Aaron Smith, Auburn University, “Flow Visualization of Turbulent Jet Impingement with Engineered Surface Modifications through Particle Image Velocimetry”
    • System-Level Thermal Management
      • Veeresh Ayyagari, University of Maryland College Park, “Performance Characterization of a Novel Low-Cost Additively Manufactured PCM-to-Air Polymer Composite Thermal Energy Storage for Cooling Equipment Peak Load Shifting”
    • Mechanics & Reliability
      • Jinesh Narangaparambil, Auburn University, “Influence of Component Interconnect with Printed Copper Circuits on Realized Mechanical and Electrical Characteristics in FHE Applications”
    • Emerging Technologies & Fundamentals
      • Maureen Winter, Purdue University, “The Effect of Fin Array Height and Spacing on Heat Transfer Performance during Pool Boiling from Extended Surfaces”

ITherm 2021

  • Best Overall Poster
    • Venkatesh Avula, Georgia Institute of Technology “Augmented Finite Element Method (AFEM) for Steady-state Thermal and Thermomechanical Modeling Integration Architectures”
  • Best Posters
    • Component-Level Thermal Management
      • Meghavin Bhatasana, Purdue University “Optimization of an Embedded Phase Change Material Cooling Strategy Using Machine Learning”
    • System Level-Thermal Management
      • Achutha Tamraparni, Texas A&M University “Experimental Validation of Composite Phase Change Material Optimized for Thermal Energy Storage”
    • Mechanics and Reliability
      • Venkatesh Avula, Georgia Institute of Technology “Augmented Finite Element Method (AFEM) for Steady-state Thermal and Thermomechanical Modeling Integration Architectures”
    • Emerging Technologies & Fundamentals
      • Pranay Nagrani, Purdue University “Two-Fluid Modeling of Dense Particulate Suspensions for Electronics Cooling”
  • Outstanding Posters
    • Component-Level Thermal Management
      • Soumya Bandyopadhyay, Purdue University “Experimental Characterization of Cascaded Vapor Chambers for Spreading of Non-Uniform Heat Loads”
    • System-Level Thermal Management
      • Ujash Shah, UCLA “Segmented Thermal Management with Flash Cooling for Heterogeneous Wafer-Scale Systems”
    • Mechanics and Reliability
      • Padmanava, Auburn University “Effect of Surface Preparation and Cure-Parameters on the Interface Properties of Flexible Encapsulation in FHE Applications”
    • Emerging Technologies & Fundamentals
      • Saeel Shrivallabh Pai, Purdue University “A Machine-Learning-Based Surrogate Model for Internal Flow Nusselt Number and Friction Factor in Various Channel Cross Sections”

ITherm 2019

  • Best Overall Poster
    • Sinan Su, Auburn University “Effect of Surface Finish on The Fatigue Behavior of Bi-based Solder Joints”
  • Best Posters
    • Component Level-Thermal Management
      • Sevket Umut Yuruker, University of Maryland “A Metamodeling Approach for Optimization of Manifold Microchannel Systems for High Flux Cooling Applications”
    • System-Level Thermal Management
      • Reece Whitt, University of Arkansas “Heat Transfer And Pressure Drop Performance Of Additively Manufactured Plastic Heat Sinks For Low-Weight Directed Cooling Integration For Power Electronics”
    • Mechanics and Reliability
      • Jing Wu, Auburn University “Investigation of Aging Induced Microstructural Changes in Doped SAC+X Solders”
    • Emerging Technologies & Fundamentals
      • Aaditya Anand Candadai, Purdue University “A Measurement Technique for Thermal Conductivity Characterization of Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene Yarns Using High-Resolution Infrared Microscopy”
  • Outstanding Posters
    • Component-Level Thermal Management
      • Debraliz Isaac Aragones, Purdue University “Effect of Filler Configuration on the Effective Thermal Conductivity of Polymer Composites”.
    • System-Level Thermal Management
      • Zihao Yuan, Boston University “Two-Phase Cooling with Micropillar Evaporators: A New Approach to Remove Heat from Future High-Performance Chips”
    • Mechanics and Reliability
      • Ved Soni, Auburn University “Effect of Shallow Charging on Flexible Power Source Capacity Subjected to Varying C-Rates and Extreme Temperatures”
    • Emerging Technologies & Fundamentals
      • Patrick Krane, Purdue University “Identifying Hot Spots in Electronics Packages with a Sensitivity-Coefficient Based Inverse Heat Conduction Method”

ITherm 2018

  • Best Overall Poster
    • Kshitij Gupta, University of Toronto “Liquid Cooling Solutions for a High-frequency, Bi-directional, On-Board Electric Vehicle Power-hub”
  • Best Posters
    • Component-Level Thermal Management
      • Matthew Clark, Purdue University “Identification of the Dominant Heat Transfer Mechanisms During Confined Two-Phase Jet Impingement”
    • System-Level Thermal Management
      • Luke Yates, Georgia Institute of Technology “Electrical and Thermal Analysis of Vertical GaN-on-GaN P-N Diodes”
    • Mechanics and Reliability
      • Abdullah Fahim, Auburn University “Mechanical Characterization of Intermetallic Compounds in SAC Solder Joints at Elevated Temperatures”
    • Emerging Technologies & Fundamentals
      • Ivel Collins, Purdue University “Experimental Characterization of Microchannel Heat Sinks Made by Additive Manufacturing”
  • Outstanding Posters
    • Component-Level Thermal Management
      • Qingyang Wang, University of California, San Diego “High Heat Flux Boiling Heat Transfer Through Nanoporous Membranes”
    • System-Level Thermal Management
      • Jayati Athavale, Georgia Institute of Technology “Artificial Neural Network Based Prediction of Temperature and Flow Profile in Data Centers”
    • Mechanics and Reliability
      • Amrit Abrol, Auburn University “Flexible Power-Source Survivability Assurance under Bending Loads and Operating Temperatures Representative of Stresses of Daily Motion”
    • Emerging Technologies & Fundamentals
      • Georges Pavlidis, Georgia Institute of Technology “Improving the Transient Thermal Characterization of GaN HEMTs”

Past Student Design Competition Award Winners

ITherm 2023

  • Winners
    • Preston Bodily, Taylor Cox, Chandler Elliott, Zach Julien, Xander Lehnardt, University of Utah
  • Runners-up
    • Kai Wei, Marshall Allen, Mark Luke, Texas A&M University

ITherm 2022

  • Winners
    • Alexander Nicolai, Lisa Stencel, Diego Montalvo, Eike van Dieken, Technische Universität Berlin
  • Runners-up
    • Behzad Ahmadi, Kelsey Brinks, Masoud Ahmadi, Gracie Brownlow, Behnam Ahmadi, Michigan Technical University

ITherm 2019

  • David Saltzman, Andrew White, Evan Diewald, and Emma Veley of Pennsylvania State University