Stefano Cassola

Research Engineer

Hettenleidelheim, Germany stefano.cassola@web.de GitHub Website

About

Research assistant and PhD candidate specializing in process simulation and machine learning for fibrous composite materials. Experienced in coupling physics-based simulations (LS-DYNA, OpenFOAM) with deep learning pipelines for flow field prediction in porous microstructures.

Experience

Research Assistant – Process Simulation

Leibniz Institut für Verbundwerkstoffe GmbH

Apr 2020 — Present

PhD research focused on flow field prediction in fibrous (porous) microstructures using machine learning, combined with thermo-mechanical process simulation for composite materials.

Extensively used LS-DYNA and LS-OPT for coupled thermo-mechanical simulations
Thermoforming simulations of CF-PEEK tape preforms including preform shape optimization and spring-back analyses
Simulation of hot press processing of structural thermoplastic foams
Implemented CNN- and FNO-based machine learning pipelines for predicting 3D flow velocity fields in fibrous (porous) microstructures at multiple resolutions
Integrated trained models with OpenFOAM to generate initial conditions, accelerating convergence in simulations for unseen microstructures and addressing generalization challenges
Contributed to interdisciplinary research projects on data-driven and physics-machine learning approaches for process simulation and permeability prediction

LS-DYNALS-OPTMachine LearningCNNFNOOpenFOAMProcess Simulation

Visiting Researcher

Center for Composite Materials (CCM), University of Delaware

Dec 2023 — Jan 2024

Short-term research visit at CCM, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA.

Research ExchangeComposite Materials

Development Engineer – Motorsport Tires

Goodyear-Dunlop Tires Germany GmbH

Jul 2016 — Mar 2020

Development engineering role focused on motorsport tire performance analysis and international customer collaboration.

Applied data analysis techniques to evaluate tire and vehicle performance
Collaborated with international customers to tailor product design to specific performance requirements and use cases
Served as a technical advisor on-site at international racing events, delivering real-time performance insights and strategic support to racing teams
Planned, coordinated, and monitored development and validation tests

Data AnalysisMotorsportTire TestingProduct Development

Skills

Beginner (0–49%)

Intermediate (50–79%)

Advanced (80–100%)

Technical Skills

Python85%

PyTorch80%

TensorFlow80%

LS-PrePost75%

LS-OPT80%

Linux / Bash75%

Slurm65%

OpenFOAM75%

ParaView70%

LS-Dyna86%

Languages

German100%

English90%

Italian30%

Soft Skills

Teamplayer80%

Proactive learner80%

Structured worker80%

Highly motivated80%

Publications

Hybrid machine learning based scale bridging framework for permeability prediction of fibrous structures

Composites Part A · 2026

D. Korolev, T. Schmidt, D. K. Natarajan, S. Cassola, D. May, M. Duhovic, M. Hintermüller

journal

Microscale domain permeability prediction of fiber reinforcement structures based on the lattice Boltzmann method and machine learning

Journal of Porous Media · 2024

M. Novitska, S. Cassola, T. Schmidt, M. Duhovic, B. I. Basok, D. May

journal

Machine Learning for Polymer Composites Process Simulation – a Review

Composites Part B · 2022

S. Cassola, T. Schmidt, M. Duhovic, D. May

journal

Education

PhD in Mechanical Engineering

University of Kaiserslautern-Landau (RPTU)

2020 — 2026

Expected completion September 2026.

Diploma in Mechanical and Process Engineering (specialization in vehicle and energy technology)

University of Kaiserslautern-Landau (RPTU)

2008 — 2015

Grade 1.6

Certificates

Leibniz Summer School on "Mathematical Methods for Machine Learning"

Leibniz Association · 2021

Deep Learning Specialization

Coursera · 2021

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Contact

stefano.cassola@web.de

Hettenleidelheim, Germany

GitHub Website