ISE doctoral student wins student research paper award

Mohamed El Amine (Wally) Belhadi, a doctoral student in the Auburn University Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, was recently recognized by IPC, a global trade association dedicated to the electronics industry, with the Student Research Award for the best paper at the IPC APEX EXPO 2022.

Belhadi was recognized during the opening remarks of the expo on Jan. 25 for his paper “Reliability and IMC Layer Evolution of Homogenous Lead-Free Solder Joints During Thermal Cycling.”

The research focus was based on a previous project by former industrial and systems engineering doctoral student Francy Akkara who worked under Industrial and Systems Engineering Associate Professor Sa’d Hamasha.

“The research is based on an extensive microstructure and failure analysis using SEM for high-reliability applications,” Belhadi said. “We have seen the effect of varying high-reliability solder pastes on components’ reliability during thermal cycling.”

Belhadi added that he felt incredibly proud and happy about the achievement.

“The award helped me to realize the value of working in an interdisciplinary environment,” he said. “I am thankful for the support and the perseverance of our research team under Dr. Hamasha's supervision.”