Congratulations Bernoulli Andilab on receiving the 2024 Governor General Gold Medal award.
Awarded annually to the graduate student who achieves the highest academic standing in a graduate degree program, the Faculty of Engineering and Architectural Science (FEAS) is excited to announce that Bernoulli Andilab from the PhD Mechanical and Industrial Engineering program is this year’s Governor General Gold Medal recipient.
Andilab completed his undergraduate, master’s, and most recently, doctorate, degrees at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU). In addition to his scholastic achievements, Andilab has made numerous contributions to the research and graduate communities.
“I am greatly honoured to receive the Governor General Gold Medal, TMU’s most prestigious academic award. This came as a pleasant surprise to me, as I have been focused on following my passion for research in materials science, serving on multiple committees and boards, and giving back to the engineering community at TMU and internationally. To me, this award means the culmination of many years of hard work and dedication at various levels such as academic excellence, research contributions, and community service.”
Bernoulli Andilab at convocation, where he received the Governor General Gold Medal award.
We look back at some of Andilab’s achievements and favourite memories from his TMU experience.
Pursuing innovation with friends at the CNPM lab.
Andilab made lifelong friendships with the members of his research group at the Centre for Near-net-shape Processing of Materials (CNPM) Lab, supervised by Dr. Ravi Ravindran. Andilab cherished conducting cutting-edge research alongside friends while balancing work by visiting the TMU pub, going on coffee walks, and having movie nights. Andilab said, “The CNPM lab was a very inclusive and friendly environment that allowed me to grow as a person and researcher in my field.” He added, “I will always remember our team’s long Windsor road trips to present our research to industry partners.”
“I’ve had the privilege of knowing Dr. Bernoulli Andilab for the past 12 years, since his undergraduate education. A critical thinker and pragmatic analyzer, Bernoulli stands out in the pantheon of my doctoral students. He is a leader serving on the board of global societies. He won four best paper awards from world-class journals and his research acumen is outstanding.”
Advancing materials science alongside a mentor.
When Andilab was an undergraduate student, he was selected to be a research assistant at Ravindran’s CNPM Lab. “This experience led to the discovery of my passion for materials science, metallurgy, and metalcasting,” Andilab said. Andilab remained heavily involved in the lab throughout his time at TMU, with Ravidran becoming his PhD supervisor. “I am deeply thankful and grateful for the guidance and support of my professor and supervisor Dr. C. Ravi Ravindran,” said Andilab, “he inspired me during my graduate studies which led to numerous publications, awards, and scholarships.
Bernoulli Andilab with the Material Advantage Chapter, a materials science student group at TMU, alongside Professor Ravi Ravindran. The chapter hosted industry expert, Shane Turcott, who demonstrated his work in Failure Analysis.
“Bernoulli earned his BEng, MASc, and PhD at TMU, making him a true embodiment of the university spirit. In addition to his numerous academic accomplishments, he significantly contributed to the department by organizing weekly seminars for his fellow research students. We are proud of you, Bernoulli!”
Finding success locally and abroad in the research community.
While at TMU, Andilab’s passion for exploring metallurgy research led him to new heights. He was the principal author of an invited paper for the International Materials Reviews, received acclaimed NSERC CGS-D and MetSoc Doctoral scholarships, and was awarded several best paper awards (most recently the 2024 American Society of Materials International/Heat Treat Society Best Paper in Heat Treating award.) Andilab shared his insights globally too, including presenting a keynote at THERMEC 2023 in Austria and conducting PhD research in Japan at the Chiba Institute of Technology (supported by the NSERC Michael Smith Foreign Study Supplement.)
Andilab sought to share his knowledge with his peers and the TMU community, serving as a student member of the International Metallographic Society Board – the second Canadian to ever be recognized. He also helped lead the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee, and the Professionalism Committee for TMU’s Department of Mechanical, Industrial, and Mechatronics Engineering (MIME), as well as coordinated weekly graduate seminars. Andilab credits the support of MIME, the CNPM lab, and the Yeates School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies teams for helping him pursue these opportunities. He shared a special thank you to Dr. Payam Emadi, Dr. Eli Vandersluis, Michael Rinaldi, Alan Machin, Nikolai Sydorenko, Dr. Donatus Oguamanam, Dr. Jacob Friedman, Kitty Choi, and Lisa MacAulay.