Held at the Vibe Credit Union Showplace in Novi, MI, FOAMS® 2026 conference is the premier forum for presenting recent advances in foaming technologies. It will feature talks by leading researchers from industry and academia, covering foam fundamentals, micro/nanocellular foams, sustainability, specialized properties, and industrial applications.
Receptions and Student Poster Exhibition - June 22-24
FOAMS conference attendees will have access to the daily networking cocktail receptions (June 22–24) hosted by our partner, Foam Expo. The student poster exhibition will take place during the reception on June 24, and an award luncheon will follow on June 25.
Technical Program
Wednesday June 24th, 2026
8:30AM – 8:40AM
Welcome / Conference Opening
Xiaoxi Wang. The Boeing Company
8:40AM – 9:25AM
Plenary Talk – Winning the Future of Protective Packaging
Dr. Guangda Shi, Vice President of R&D – Protective at Sealed Air
Insights into the mechanisms underlying the high-cycle fatigue — Paolo Iaccarino (U. Naples: Federico II, Italy)
Development Strategies for Multilayer Polymeric Foam Structures with Enhanced Shock-Absorbing Performance — Márton Tomin (Budapest U. Technology, Hungary)
Humidity-Programmed Cellular Structure and Circularity in Boronic-Ester EVA Vitrimers — Jesús Fernández (CellMat Lab-U. Valladolid)
Enhancing Foaming Performance of Linear Polypropylene-based Elastomer Foams Through Ionic Modification — Mahmoud Embabi (U. Toronto, Canada)
Tunable structural morphologies of PMMA porous materials: from aerogels to foams — Antonio Largo (CellMat Lab-U. Valladolid)
Potential of Aerogel Technology Combined with Foam Materials to Address Challenges in the Electric Vehicle Market — Thomas Koch (Armacell)
Influence of CO2 sorption/desorption on the glassy state and mechanical behavior of nanocellular polyetherimide — Felix Lizalde Arroyo (CellMat Lab-U. Valladolid)
Multi-layered, multi-structured mono-material parts — Ernesto Di Maio (U. Naples: Federico II)
Halogen free-flame retarded PU foams – Making old folks invincible — Cristina Saiz Arroyo (CellMat Technologies)
Kim McLoughlin Senior Research Engineer, Global Materials Science Braskem
A Resin Supplier’s Perspective on Partnerships for the Circular Economy
About the Speaker
Kim drives technology programs at Braskem to develop advanced polyolefins with improved recyclability and sustainability. As Principal Investigator on a REMADE-funded collaboration, Kim leads a diverse industry-academic team that is developing a process to recycle elastomers as secondary feedstock. Kim has a PhD in Chemical Engineering from Cornell. She is an inventor on more than 25 patents and applications for novel polyolefin technologies. Kim is on the Board of Directors of SPE’s Thermoplastic Materials & Foams Division, where she has served as Education Chair and Councilor.
A Resin Supplier’s Perspective on Partnerships for the Circular Economy
About the Speaker
Gamini has a BS and PhD from Purdue University in Materials Engineering and Sustainability. He joined Penn State as a Post Doctorate Scholar in 2020 prior to his professorship appointment. He works closely with PA plastics manufacturers to implement sustainability programs in their plants.
A Resin Supplier’s Perspective on Partnerships for the Circular Economy
About the Speaker
Tom Giovannetti holds a Degree in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Tulsa and for the last 26 years has worked for Chevron Phillips Chemical Company. Tom started his plastics career by designing various injection molded products for the chemical industry including explosion proof plugs and receptacles, panel boards and detonation arrestors for 24 inch pipelines. Tom also holds a patent for design of a polyphenylene sulfide sleeve in a nylon coolant cross-over of an air intake manifold and is a Certified Plastic Technologist through the Society of Plastic Engineers. Tom serves on the Oklahoma Section Board as Councilor, is also the past president of the local Oklahoma SPE Section, and as well serves on the SPE Injection Molding Division board.
Joseph Lawrence, Ph.D. Senior Director and Research Professor University of Toledo
A Resin Supplier’s Perspective on Partnerships for the Circular Economy
About the Speaker
Dr. Joseph Lawrence is a Research Professor and Senior Director of the Polymer Institute and the Center for Materials and Sensor Characterization at the University of Toledo. He is a Chemical Engineer by training and after working in the process industry, he has been engaged in polymers and composites research for 18+ years. In the Polymer Institute he leads research on renewably sourced polymers, plastics recycling, and additive manufacturing. He is also the lead investigator of the Polyesters and Barrier Materials Research Consortium funded by industry. Dr. Lawrence has advised 20 graduate students, mentored 8 staff scientists and several undergraduate students. He is a peer reviewer in several journals, has authored 30+ peer-reviewed publications and serves on the board of the Injection Molding Division of SPE.
Matt Hammernik Northeast Account Manager Hasco America
A Resin Supplier’s Perspective on Partnerships for the Circular Economy
About the Speaker
Matt Hammernik serves as Hasco America’s Northeast Area Account Manager covering the states Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky. He started with Hasco America at the beginning of March 2022. Matt started in the Injection Mold Industry roughly 10 years ago as an estimator quoting injection mold base steel, components and machining. He advanced into outside sales and has been serving molders, mold builders and mold makers for about 7 years.
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