Miami assistant professor is 30 Under 30 selection by Society of Manufacturing Engineers
Clayton Cooper also earned NSF grant in November
Miami assistant professor is 30 Under 30 selection by Society of Manufacturing Engineers
Clayton Cooper also earned NSF grant in November
Growing up in northeastern Ohio, Clayton Cooper wondered why his father was such an early riser.
At 4:30 a.m., Carl Cooper would get out of bed, ready to start the day at the General Motors plant in Lordstown. He did a little bit of everything there, Clayton Cooper said, from working in the van plant to later serving as a paint auditor.
Seeing and hearing what his father did every day at this 1,000-acre complex fascinated Cooper and started him on a path toward manufacturing engineering. “That really shaped my whole life,” he said.
Now an assistant professor in Miami University’s Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Cooper is inspiring others as one of the future leaders in the field. Cooper was recently selected to the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) 2026 list of 30 Under 30 honorees.
“Being recognized in this way was truly surprising, in the best way possible,” Cooper said.
Profiles for the 30 honorees are available on AdvancedManufacturing.org, SME’s news and content website. They will also be included in an upcoming issue of SME’s “Manufacturing Engineering & Technology” publication.
A nonprofit organization established in 1932, SME encompasses manufacturers, academia, professionals, and students. Each 30 Under 30 representative receives a one-year SME membership.
In November 2025, Cooper received a nearly $200,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) through its Engineering Research Initiation program for his project on digital twinning. He’s also part of the Scientific Committee for the North American Manufacturing Research Institution of SME.
Digital twinning, a data-driven copy of a physical object, is one of Cooper’s research areas of focus. They also include physics-informed machine learning, manufacturing process modeling, nonintrusive sensing, and explainable artificial intelligence.
“Clayton’s recognition as a Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) 30 Under 30 honoree is a testament to his dedication, innovative research, and deep commitment to student mentorship,” said Beena Sukumaran, the Dinesh and Ila Paliwal Dean of the College of Engineering and Computing. “From securing NSF funding to advance the use of artificial intelligence in manufacturing to guiding our students in the lab and on the RedHawk Racing track, he exemplifies the bright future of manufacturing engineering at Miami University. I am thrilled to see his talent and hard work recognized on a national level.”
Cooper joined Miami after receiving his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Case Western Reserve University in 2024. He also received both his B.S.E. and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Case Western in 2020. Cooper was no stranger to Miami, though. His brother, Dane, is a 2009 graduate who earned a degree in Political Science.
“I came here when I was a little kid and the engineering building was brand new,” Cooper said. “I really liked the campus, and I felt a strong connection.”
Another connection who has helped Cooper throughout his career is Robert X. Gao, the chair of Case Western Reserve’s Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.
“He pushed me to be a better version of myself,” Cooper said. “He was a great mentor.”
Like Gao, Cooper also prides himself in helping students. He is the advisor for RedHawk Racing, a group of students who design, build, and test Formula and Baja vehicles.
Providing an atmosphere where students can be passionate and invest themselves in the creative process is important to Cooper. His father encouraged his own curiosity in manufacturing engineering. His mother, Beverly, fostered his innovative and inventive spirit too, which is still evident by the bookshelf of LEGO sets in his office.
And that General Motors plant? It had LEGOs come to life.
“I was a LEGO kid. I can thank mom for that one,” Cooper said. “Getting to see real-world LEGOs lift cars overhead was so incredible and so enthralling.
“One reason I think students enjoy my classes is they can see my passion for manufacturing. I want to be able to convey that so they’ll be interested in the topic and can really dig into it. That’s been really rewarding for me.”