Professor Boyd Panton
Lincoln Electric Professor Boyd Panton, Welding Engineering
EJTC, Room 126
Education and professional background
B.S. Mechanical Engineering Co-op, Welding and Joining Specialization, University of Waterloo, 2011
Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering, Laser Welding, Thermomechanical Processing, and Fatigue, Center for Advanced Materials Joining, University of Waterloo, 2016
2018-Present Assistant Professor, Welding Engineering Program
2017-2018 Staff Process Engineer, Baylis Medical Company, Toronto, ON, Canada
2013-2017 Co-Founder and CTO, Executive Solutions Worldwide Corp., Waterloo, ON, Canada
2015-2016 Co-Founder and CTO, LabsCubed Inc., Waterloo, ON, Canada
2014-2015 Part-time Research Engineer, Smarter Alloys Inc., Waterloo, ON, Canada
2014-2015 Part-time Research Engineer, Centre for Advanced Materials Joining
Areas of interest
- Welding and joining
- Processing/manufacturing
Area of expertise
- Shape memory alloys
- microwelding
- high-energy density welding
- hybrid welding-thermomechanical processes
Research
Since joining Ohio State University in 2018, I have started collaborations and developed teaching and research labs dedicated to the study of the topics listed under expertise (above). My collaborators and I are developing new solid-state microwelding technologies for applications including shape memory alloy actuators and medical devices.
Major areas of my activity include
• Developing processes for advanced materials welding and microjoining
• Manufacturing surgical tools and medical devices
• Process monitoring and control to improve microstructure properties
• Process-Structure-Property relationships of welds and additive manufacturing
• Development and use of hybrid welding-thermomechanical processes to improve material performance
• Dissimilar materials joining including stainless steel, titanium, copper, shape memory alloys
Approach to diversity and inclusion
I grew up in a very diverse part of a diverse city. My family is multi-cultural, and I have a multi-racial background, but my skin is white. I am related by blood and marriage to people of many diverse backgrounds. It took me some time to understand that people may treat others differently. I got to understand how this may happen when I started my undergraduate degree and met people who had never interacted with people of a different race before (this shocked me at the time).
I experienced racial bias as a six foot three, white-skinned man during my travel and work in Asia. A relatively benign version of being treated differently, I was the object of stares and photographs. The serious issues that can impact people on a daily basis due to lack of inclusivity sadden me.
I believe that to improve diversity and inclusivity we must have love, empathy and forgiveness. I believe that most of the issues we encounter in this area are due to ignorance and fear, which can be solved by love, empathy, and forgiveness. My purpose is to help students with a passion for welding engineering and related areas achieve their fullest potential regardless of their background.
You might not know
I grew up in Vancouver, Canada. My mother was born in Canada but grew up in the Cayman Islands in the Caribbean, where she met my father. He and his family are natives of the Caribbean. I love the mountains, the ocean and my doggie. My wife and I like to cook different things from around the world and our cultures. Oh, and I am a huge nerd. I drool over microstructures and laser characterization equipment. I like reading sci-fi and fantasy.
My favorite thing at work is to see my students succeed in improving their knowledge at all levels. It is my job to help them succeed, so I always try to learn new things as tools for their advancement. Not everything is a nail needing a hammer, there are screws, and bolts, and all kind of things that need different tools.