Norbert MeyendorfDr. Norbert Meyendorf retired in fall 2018 as Deputy Director of the Center for Nondestructive Evaluation (CNDE) and Professor in the Aerospace Engineering Department at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. Before joining ISU in 2016 he was Branch Director at the Fraunhofer Institute for Nondestructive Testing IZFP and later IKTS. Additionally, he was Director of the International University of Dayton / Fraunhofer Research Center at the School of Engineering at the University of Dayton, and Founder and Program Director of the Master Program “Nondestructive Testing, M. Sc. (NDT)” at the Dresden International University (DIU) between 2011 and 2015.Norbert Meyendorf continues to be active as Adjunct Professor in the Graduate Materials Engineering Program at the University of Dayton and as Professor for Micro- and Nano-NDE at the University of Dresden. He is the author or co-author of more than 300 peer-reviewed journal articles, contributions to edited proceedings, technical reports, and numerous oral presentations at international venues. He was Editor in Chief and is now member of the Advisory Board of the Journal of Nondestructive Evaluation and is member of the International Advisory Board of the RCNDE (the UK Research Center in NDE). He has edited several books and conference proceedings. Additionally, Meyendorf is the founder and chair of two expert committees of the German Society for Non-Destructive Testing (DGZfP); namely, “Structural Health Monitoring” and “Materials Diagnostics” and was awarded in 2022 with the Kurzweil Award for High Impact on NDE 4.0 for the work "Starting the Field of NDE 4.0". Nathan IdaNathan Ida is currently Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at The University of Akron in Akron, Ohio where he has been since 1985. His current research interests are in the areas of electromagnetic nondestructive testing and evaluation of materials at low and microwave frequencies with particular emphasis on theory and all aspects of modeling and simulation, and on related issues stemming from research in NDE. Starting with modeling of eddy current and remote field phenomena, and continuing with high frequency methods for microwave NDE, his work now encompasses the broad aspects of computational electromagnetics where he has contributed to both understanding of the interaction of electromagnetic fields with materials and to the development of new methods and tools for numerical modeling and simulation for, and beyond, NDE. Other areas of current interest include electromagnetic wave propagation, theoretical issues in computation, as well as in communications and sensing, especially in low power remote control and wireless sensing. Much of this work has found its way into practice through industrial relations and consulting across industries as diverse as power generation, polymers, steel, medical and software, spanning the globe. Dr. Ida has published extensively on electromagnetic field computation, parallel and vector algorithms and computation, nondestructive testing of materials, surface impedance boundary conditions, sensing and others, in over 450 publications. He has written 9 books, two on computation of electromagnetic fields (one in its second edition) one on modeling for nondestructive testing, one on nondestructive testing with microwaves, a textbook on engineering electromagnetics, now in its fourth edition, a textbook on sensing and actuation (now in its second edition) a book on the use of surface impedance boundary conditions and others including on ground penetrating radar and industrial sensing based on microwaves. In addition, he has co-edited 4 volumes including the Handbook of Advanced NDE. Dr. Ida is a Life Fellow of the Institute of Electric and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), a Fellow of the American Society of Nondestructive Testing (ASNT), a Fellow of the Applied Computational Electromagnetics Society (ACES) and past Fellow of the Institute of Electronics and Technology (IET). Dr. Ida teaches Electromagnetics, Antenna Theory, Electromagnetic Compatibility, Sensing and Actuation as well as Computational Methods and Algorithms. Dr. Ida received his B.Sc. in 1977 and M.S.E.E. in 1979 from the Ben-Gurion University in Israel, and his Ph.D. from Colorado State University in 1983. Ripi SinghDr. Ripi Singh is a freelance innovation and strategy coach, specializing in digital transformation. He got here after 20 years of developing digital solutions to engineering problems followed by another 15 years of organization transformation experience. He has learned from decades of creating new technologies and products, and fostering a culture of Innovation through academia, small business, and Fortune 500 companies in Asia, Europe, and the USA. He holds a Master’s Degree in Strategic Thinking from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Post Doctorate in Aerospace Engineering from Georgia Tech. He has shared his work through 150+ research publications, 350+ lectures, 25 books, number of visiting faculty roles, and several advisory board assignments. His notable voluntary roles as of late include serving on the US delegation on ISO 56000 for Innovation Management, and as Chair of the NDE 4.0 committee for the ASNT. He is a recipient of several awards, including the President of India Cash Prize for Research from ISTAM, the National Technical Education award from ISTE, Tata Research Fellowship, leading up to US Citizenship for extraordinary abilities. His work on NDE 4.0 together with Dr. Johannes Vrana received the Robert C McMaster Gold Medal from ASNT in 2022 and Ray Kurzweil Award from ICNDT-SIG in 2025. Johannes VranaDr. Johannes Vrana: physicist, consultant, speaker, and trainer with 20+ years’ experience in NDE and data science. His work ranges from applied ultrasonic testing to quantum optics, from quality assurance to science, and from large-scale industries to start-ups. Some of the highlights of his work: Ph.D. on Induction Thermography, former Chairman of the Siemens NDE Council, and implementation of SAFT into serial production.Dr. Vrana is leading multiple groups in national and international societies, mainly regarding NDE 4.0 and automated ultrasonic testing. He is well-published, editor of the Journal of NDE, editor-in-chief of the Handbook of NDE 4.0, and received multiple awards. In 2022 he received the Robert C McMaster Gold Medal from ASNT (together with Dr. Singh), in 2023 Onalytica identified him as one of the Top 50 Influencers on Industry 4.0, and in 2025 he was awarded the Kurzweil Award for High Impact on NDE 4.0 for the work "Pioneering, Leading & Globalizing NDE 4.0".His company “Vrana GmbH” specializes in NDE and digital transformation consulting and solutions, R&D, training, and software development. Vrana GmbH offers holistic cyber-physical solutions including IIoT integration, digital twin design, and value creation from data.
