Connect with your STLE Member colleagues in a casual and meaningful way in a virtual environment.


Why attend an Industry Insights event?
Connect with fellow STLE industry peers and subject-matter experts. The session kicks off with a brief presentation, followed by a panel and discussion questions and practical, actionable takeaways. Group size will be limited to enhance dialogue and lead to a dynamic exchange of ideas.

Do you have a topic you’d like to discuss or present? Contact membership@stle.org.

You must be a current STLE member to participate in this event. To learn more about STLE membership and please visit www.stle.org/joinnow. 
STLE Membership is a Low-Cost Investment with High Professional Rewards
By registering for this virtual program, I accept and agree to follow the STLE Virtual Programs Code of Conduct.

UPCOMING EVENT


Check back soon for details on the next Industry Insights Discussion Series.
Industry Insight events are available for FREE to STLE members only!

PAST EVENTS


Designing Surfaces to Optimize Performance and Production Efficiency, Revisited
June 23, 2026

Surface finish quietly governs friction, adhesion, wear, lubrication, and leakage — and on tooling and dies, the wrong finish shows up as scrap, rework, and downtime. But the "optimal" finish depends on the application, and trial-and-error rarely finds it. This Industry Insights event revisits why traditional finish-selection methods fall short and shows how physics-informed AI, pairing surface-science models with machine learning, can identify the finish that optimizes the performance metric you actually care about — product lifetime, yield, or production efficiency.
Challenges in Tribology Research and Testing
April 29, 2026

This Industrial Insights session will focus on the practical and scientific challenges faced by both industry and academia in tribology research and testing. Emphasis will be placed on shared testing challenges, strategies for designing efficient experiments that meet multiple objectives, and approaches for identifying meaningful and novel testing directions to address emerging needs in modern tribology.

Panelist Dr. Ujjawal Arya
Ujjawal Arya is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, and is working under the guidance of Prof. Farshid Sadeghi. Ujjawal works in the Mechanical Engineering Tribology Lab to better understand the bearing lubrication and how it is affected by the bearing components. Before graduate school, he earned a B.Tech. in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, and interned at Reliance Industries Ltd. In his free time, he enjoys exercising, playing guitar, and watching DIY videos.
Foam Control in Oil Based Systems
February 19, 2026

The topic of the webinar will befoam control in oil-based systems – whether these are gear oils or hydraulic fluids (or even epoxy floorings!) does not matter, since physics does not care too much about the specific chemistry of the base liquid. After explaining how foam is generated, its stabilization mechanism and why air should be eliminated from a system, the mode of action of foam control agents will be explained – almost without mathematical equations, but by showing videos of antifoam droplets in action. While silicone oil is able to provide good antifoaming efficiency (= effective against macrofoam), it has a negative effect on air release (= elimination of microfoam). Organomodified silicones (OMS), however, are based on a polydimethylsiloxane (silicone oil) backbone, onto which organic grafts such as polyether chains are attached. Whereas the silicone backbone can provide the low surface tension typical of silicones, the organic grafts can provide some compatibility with the matrix. Therefore, most of the physico­chemical and application properties are determined by the number and nature of the organic grafts and the ratio of silicone/organic. Accordingly, by variation of the chemical structure it is possible to design OMS additives with properties ranging from foam stabilizers to defoamers. It will be explained why some OMS are not only able to provide good antifoaming efficiency but are also not negatively influencing the rising velocity of individual small bubbles.  All in all, the performance of these foam control agents can very well be explained by basic physical chemistry. However, these additives cannot do magic by just “eliminating” air bubbles – one always needs to take into account that there needs to be a release point in the equipment at which the air can leave the fluid. This is one of the points which will be covered in the Q&A session at the end of the webinar.

Presenter: Joachim Venzmer
Joachim Venzmer studied chemistry at the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany and received his education in Polymer Science at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst/Massachusetts, USA. After 6 months as a visiting researcher at the Xerox Research Center of Canada in Mississauga/Ontario, Canada and obtaining his Ph.D. at the University of Mainz in 1991, he joined Central Research of Th. Goldschmidt AG, which became 2001 part of Degussa, which became 2007 Evonik Industries. Currently, he is Head of Research Interfacial Technology within Research, Development & Innovation of Evonik Operations GmbH. From 2011 to 2015, he has been chairman of the German Colloid Society (Kolloid-Gesellschaft e.V.). He is also active in several organizations, e.g. GDCh, CESIO, TEGEWA, DIN, CEN. In 2021, he has received the Steinkopff-Prize of the Kolloid-Gesellschaft and has been named Evonik Research Principal.

Panelist: Safia Peerzada
Safia Peerzada has worked at Münzing for over 8 years and is currently working as the Lead R&D Chemist focusing on developing new test methods and antifoams for EV fluids. Her role is working as a liaison between R&D and Technical Service. In this role, she is responsible for researching and analyzing the new markets and formulating and evaluating specialty additives for the emerging markets. Prior to this position, Safia worked as an Associate R&D Chemist where she worked on developing the new defoamer product line for metal working fluids. She earned her bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in chemical engineering from Rutgers University. She has been a contributing member of STLE since 2019.
Development and Testing of Fluids from the Additive Formulator's Perspective
January 22, 2026

The development and testing of any finished lubricant, automatic transmission fluid, industrial gear oil, or passenger car motor oil involves several participants including the additive company, oil company, test labs, and OEMs. Each plays a unique role and provides specific contributions that make each formulation unique and specific for its application. In this Industry Insights session, we provide a view on fluid development and testing from the perspective of the additive company. Four panelists from additive companies will each do a short presentation on their individual and company’s perspective and then will have a discussion with the online audience.

Presenter: Christopher Cleveland
Christopher Cleveland is R&D technical director at Afton Chemical Corporation where he has worked for 15 years in transmission fluid research and development. Currently, he leads the ATF Formulation team, which is responsible for the development of performance additives for the next generation transmission fluids, AT, DCT, CVT, eV, in collaboration with key customers and OEM partners.

Panelist: Rebecca Warden
Rebecca Warden is a Senior Research Engineer at Chevron Oronite, functioning as a test engineer and OEM liaison for driveline and hydraulics, with a focus on lubricant development for next generation electric vehicles. Prior to Chevron Oronite, Rebecca was the manager of Advanced Drivetrain Lubricants at Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), focusing on lubricant evaluations for electrified vehicles, automatic transmissions, axles, tractor hydraulic systems, and gear/hydraulic systems in industrial applications. Rebecca has been active for over 14 years in the lubricants industry with over a decade of experience in driveline testing.