Meet our Presenters

David Cooke serves as the Senior Associate Director of the Ohio State Center for Automotive Research (CAR). He is a member of the senior leadership team at CAR and directly supports research programs in electrified and automated vehicle technologies. David is currently the project manager for three large, federal programs including ARPA-E NEXTCAR, USDOT CARMEN University Transportation Center and the USDOT/FTA LoNo Transit Research Program. As a student at Ohio State, David had the opportunity to lead the Buckeye Bullet landspeed racing team and set world records in excess of 300 MPH with both battery electric and hydrogen vehicle cell powered vehicles.

Dr. Manfredi Villani is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at The Ohio State University, where he teaches courses in thermal and fluid sciences as well as vehicle electrification. He conducts his research at the Center for Automotive Research (CAR), focusing on advancing sustainable transportation technologies. Dr. Villani holds a B.S. and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering and earned his Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering in 2020. His doctoral research, titled “Design, Optimization, and Control of Electrification-Oriented Waste Heat Recovery Systems Based on the Organic Rankine Cycle for Heavy-Duty Vehicles,” laid the foundation for his ongoing work in energy systems for transportation. With over five years of experience, Dr. Villani specializes in energy conversion and storage, vehicle electrification, energy management in electrified powertrains, and hydrogen fuel cells. His research work on simulation, control, and optimization of electrified commercial vehicles has been published in international journals and presented at leading conferences. He has received funding from the U.S. Department of Energy and has collaborated with national laboratories and industry leaders including ORNL, NREL, PACCAR, and Cummins. Driven by a strong passion for scientific research and the automotive industry, Dr. Villani is committed to developing cleaner, more efficient vehicles and advancing the future of mobility.

About the Center for Automotive Research

The Center for Automotive Research (CAR) is the preeminent research center in sustainable and safe mobility in the United States and an interdisciplinary research center in The Ohio State University’s College of Engineering. With a concentration on preparing the next generation of automotive leaders, CAR is recognized for interdisciplinary emphasis on systems engineering, advanced and unique experimental facilities, collaboration on advanced product development projects with industry, and a balance of government and privately sponsored research. CAR’s research focuses on energy, safety and the environment and it offers state-of-the-art facilities for students, faculty, research staff and industry partners.

In collaboration with multiple departments within the College of Engineering, CAR provides students the opportunity to complete a graduate specialization in automotive systems engineering. Further, CAR directly offers a certificate program via distance learning for industry practitioners. The center also provides facilities and support for eight automotive student project teams.

Under the direction of Giorgio Rizzoni, CAR involves more than 26 visiting scholars, 38 research and administrative staff members, 44 undergraduate students, 49 collaborating faculty and 77 graduate students who carry out over $14 million of research projects annually.