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Schnell takes reins as ITI director

Tom “Mach” Schnell has taken the helm as director of the Iowa Technology Institute, effective April 15, succeeding Karim Abdel-Malek, who had led the research institute for 20 years.

Schnell’s vision is to deepen the connection between ITI faculty and industry as well as leverage interdisciplinary research to attract large-scale grants.

Explore the latest research at OPL

The University of Iowa's Operator Performance Lab, directed by Dr. Tom "Mach" Schnell, is a flight testing laboratory with a fleet of jets, helicopters, Humvees, and UAVs.

Iowa professor's innovation among Time magazine's best inventions of 2024

Yang Liu, University of Iowa associate professor of electrical and computer engineering and an ITI faculty affiliate, co-founded Unify Medical, which released a digital loupe technology called Amplio to support image-guided surgical procedures. Amplio made Time magazine's best inventions of 2024.

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Advanced Manufacturing and Materials

Aerospace Technology

Biotechnology

Environment and Energy

Human Modeling and Simulation

Systems and Sensors

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ITI has a number of strategic partnerships with academic institutions, consortia and membership organizations, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and private businesses. These help fund and support our research and development.

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Recent News

Xi Chen wins Goody Award for young scholars

Wednesday, July 2, 2025

College of Engineering

Xi Chen, an assistant research scientist in the AER Lab, has won a top award for early career scientists investigating how tiny particles interact with light and other electromagnetic particles in the atmosphere so scientists can improve weather forecasting and monitor air quality.

Two students pose for photos in an airplane hangar

OPL, Air Force Test Pilot School partnership benefits students

Wednesday, May 28, 2025

Operator Performance Laboratory

An aspiring U.S. Air Force pilot found a rare opportunity this year to work directly with a senior officer, gaining hands-on experience with advanced aviation technology while observing the calm, cool, collected demeanor required of airmen. They met while conducting research for their engineering graduate degrees at the University of Iowa Operator Performance Laboratory (OPL).

Schnieders secures NSF grant to speed up drug development

Wednesday, April 16, 2025

Michael Schnieders, University of Iowa professor of biomedical engineering, is developing new computer models that would speed up development of lifesaving drugs by better predicting how drug formulas will interact with the human body.

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