The winners of the 2024 Outstanding Paper Award for Research in Nondestructive
Evaluation are Dmitriy D. Bruder, Megan E. McGovern, PhD, Robin James, PhD,
Teresa J. Rinker, PhD, and Vineet Gattani for the paper titled “Assessment of Laser-
Generated Ultrasonic Total Focusing Method for Battery Cell Foil Weld Inspection,”
published in Research in Nondestructive Evaluation, Vol. 34, No. 2, March–April 2023,
pp. 83–100.
DMITRIY D. BRUDER
Dmitriy Bruder is a project engineer at
General Motors R&D. After several years
as an automotive technician, he joined
GM in 2010, working in the Powertrain
division, where he was responsible for
transmission and hybrid electric motor
testing, validation, and dynamometer
operation. Bruder transitioned to R&D
in 2015, taking on various roles ranging
from prototype design to vehicle build
planning and instrumentation. Most
recently, he has led research projects in
nondestructive testing for in-line quality
verification.
Bruder holds both a bachelor’s and
master’s degree in mechanical engi-
neering from Wayne State University. He
holds nine patents and has published
four papers. In 2023, he received the
Boss Kettering Award, GM’s highest
recognition for technical inventions and
innovations.
MEGAN E. MCGOVERN
Megan E. McGovern, PhD, PE, is a staff
researcher at General Motors R&D,
where she has led research projects since
2016 focused on developing manufac-
turing inspection systems, primarily for
quality verification in battery manufac-
turing. McGovern received her master’s
and doctorate degrees in systems engi-
neering from the University of Illinois
Urbana-Champaign. She is an active
member of various professional societies
and is a licensed Professional Engineer
(PE).
In recognition of her contributions,
McGovern, an ASNT member, received
the ASNT Research Recognition
for Innovation in 2022 and the SME
Outstanding Young Manufacturing
Engineer Award the same year. In 2023,
she received the Boss Kettering Award,
GM’s highest recognition for technical
inventions and innovations. McGovern
also currently serves on the Board of
Trustees of the ASNT Foundation and
as a Contributing Editor for Materials
Evaluation.
ROBIN JAMES
Robin James is a distinguished
researcher at General Motors R&D in
the Materials &Manufacturing Systems
Research Lab, where he leads the
development of advanced nonde-
structive evaluation (NDE) systems for
battery manufacturing. He holds a PhD
in mechanical engineering from the
University of South Carolina, specializing
in structural health monitoring and NDE
of composite structures, and completed
his postdoctoral research at the
University of California, Irvine, on ultra-
structural biomimetic materials inspired
by nature.
At GM, James has pioneered inno-
vative in-line NDE systems that improve
battery cell quality assurance during
manufacturing. He has authored around
25 invention disclosures related to
electric vehicle battery manufacturing
systems and is an expert in various NDE
techniques, including ultrasonic testing,
X-ray computed tomography, and eddy
current testing.
James has also mentored numerous
students, many of whom have advanced
to prestigious roles in NASA, Boeing,
and the US Navy. An ASNT member,
he currently serves as chair of the
Detroit Section of ASNT and vice chair
of its Research Symposium Program
Committee. His work has significantly
advanced battery cell manufacturing and
NDE, earning widespread recognition
and publication.
M AY 2 0 2 5 • M AT E R I A L S E V A L U AT I O N 59

TERESA J. RINKER
Teresa Rinker, PhD, is a senior researcher
at General Motors R&D in the Materials
&Manufacturing Systems Research
Lab. Her research at the University
of Michigan, where she was an NSF
Graduate Research Fellow, focused on
the joining and fatigue failure of dissim-
ilar ultrasonic welds in magnesium and
steel. She earned master’s degrees in
both mechanical engineering and mate-
rial science and engineering in 2010 and
2013, respectively, and completed her
PhD in mechanical engineering in 2013.
Currently, Rinker is working on battery
joining and testing for electric vehicles.
Her research interests include nonde-
structive and destructive testing, as well
as welding of dissimilar metals and thin
foils.
VINEET GATTANI
Vineet Gattani is a PhD candidate in
the School of Electrical, Computer, and
Energy Engineering at Arizona State
University (ASU), where he is advised
by Dr. Gautam Dasarathy. His doctoral
research focuses on developing explain-
able AI algorithms to bridge the gap
between complex machine-learning
models and their interpretability, with
particular emphasis on areas such as
distributed learning (federated learning),
dynamic recommendation systems,
and data-efficient model evaluation.
He earned his master’s degree in elec-
trical engineering from ASU in 2018 and
his bachelor of technology degree in
electrical engineering from the Indian
Institute of Technology, Hyderabad, in
2015.
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