Mohammed Omer

Hello, I’m Mohammed, and I call Oman, a peaceful country in the Middle East, my home. My journey into engineering commenced with an apprenticeship in a steel fabrication facility at the age of 16. It was there that I found a deep-rooted fascination for understanding the mechanics of manufacturing things. This intrigue led me to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering. In my undergraduate thesis, I designed and manufactured a completely carbon fibre composite monocoque structure for the shell eco marathon competition vehicle. Later, during my master’s studies, I focused on optimizing rapid hot forging processes for a key automotive supplier while also delving into the intricacies of designing conformal cooling channels for forging dies using multi-physics simulations.

My professional journey has been shaped by diverse experiences from crafting assembly manuals for Airbus commercial aircraft to my current pursuit of designing frugal open-source machine tools at the Federal Armed Forces University in Hamburg. During my time in the construction, automotive, and aerospace sectors, I’ve had the chance to experience various roles, including ,manufacturing R&D, project management, and leadership. Each step has been a humbling opportunity to learn, adapt, and contribute.

My current research is deeply rooted in my upbringing as an immigrant in Oman. Growing up, I witnessed firsthand the struggles and hurdles faced by migrants striving to establish and sustain their micro-manufacturing enterprises. I saw the same thing in my homecountry of Bangladesh, whereby industrial clusters are often made of small roadside manufacturing entprises that are often run by 1-5 workers. Their enduring challenges in breaking free from the cycle of poverty and limited growth sparked a contemplation on how engineering could drive positive change.

In my PhD i propose the idea: Empower these micro-entrepreneurs by providing them access to design blueprints and assembly instructions for building their own production resources, specifically CNC or automated machine tools. My belief is that by making these resources open-source and freely available on the internet, it could pave the way for transformational opportunities. To substantiate this hypothesis, my research follows a dual approach. On one hand, I delve into an empirical exploration, developing proof-of-concept machine prototypes using frugal design principles. Concurrently, I employ qualitative methodologies such as interviews, observations, and surveys to gain deeper insights into the practical implications and potential impact of this approach along with pitfalls and challenges.

I aim to connect engineering with meaningful social change by making knowledge accessible. My focus is on empowering individuals in marginalized communities by providing them with the tools and resources they need. It’s about using innovation and inclusivity to create real, positive change.

Apart from work and research, which I am doing really most of the time since I am so passionate about it :P I actually watch anime to wind down and also love building stuff like 3d printed nerf guns, RC cars or just whatever new project I can think of. I enjoy fixing stuff that breaks, and also extract parts from junk which I know I could use for other projects. I also like reading fiction and biographical novels, Steve Job’s biography is my all time favourite. My favourite fiction authors are J.K. Rowling, Khaled Husseini, Allistair Mclean and quite a few others.

If you are interested in my research of frugal design for resource constrained settings, lets connect :)