ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | JANUARY 2026 32 D r. Navin Manjooran, FASM, while President of ASM International, launched a groundbreaking executive leadership forum at the Society’s annual conference—the International Materials, Applications, and Technologies (IMAT) 2025— to bring together leaders from industry and academia to shape the future of materials science, engineering, and technology. The first-time event was held at Huntington Place in Detroit on October 20, 2025. Nicole Hudak, as emcee, introduced Manjooran, a global leader in materials science, energy, and healthcare innovation. In his opening remarks, he stated that ASM International’s events, journals, and handbooks set global standards in materials research and practice. According to Manjooran, the most important role ASM plays is connecting people across all materials sectors. “Each collaboration, each men- torship, and each partnership contributes to advancing the science and engineering of materials worldwide,” he said. A question-and-answer process for both panels led to robust conversations EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP FORUM PANEL AT IMAT 2025 Key takeaways from industry and academia experts on how they work together to drive innovation and strengthen the global materials ecosystem. CHAIR Dr. Navin Manjooran, Ph.D., MBA, C. Eng., FASM, FACerS, FIIM, FIEI, FIMMM, FIIE, FAEM, HoF-VTAEE Solve Chairman EMCEE Ms. Nicole Hudak The Ohio State University MSE Master’s Student Navin Manjooran, as chair, provides opening remarks. covering: insights into cutting edge materials advancements and real-world applications; perspectives on sustainability, commercialization, and workforce development; deep dives into policy, funding, and global innovation trends; and strategies for fostering collaboration across sectors. This summary reflects the discussion and highlights the key takeaways on how the various sectors drive materials innovations and accelerate research and commercialization through strategic collaborations. Concluding remarks provided by Dr. Navin Manjooran, reinforced some key points from the discussions. Chief among them: Cross-sector collaboration is essential to innovation. He reinforced that ASM International is an important facilitator of these connections, which helps to advance materials discoveries. He encouraged panelists and attendees to continue these conversations with peers going forward.
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