AI/ML Webinar Series for R&D and Manufacturing

Hosted by: The American Ceramic Society & ZW LLC

This series of three 1-hour workshops focus on the fundamentals and practical application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) in advanced materials, specialty chemicals, and other high- tech industries.

Session 1: AI/ML Foundations (One-Hour)

Original air date: Thursday, June 18, 2026, from 11 a.m.–12 p.m. Eastern Time

  • Role of AI/ML in R&D and manufacturing
  • Overview of supervised, semi-supervised, unsupervised, and reinforcement learning
  • AI/ML applications in prediction and optimization
  • Introduction to deep neural networks, advanced AI models, and key algorithms
  • Brief introduction to generative AIs (LLMs)

Log in or join ACerS to watch Session 1: AI/ML Foundations here

Session 2: Six-Step AI/ML Model Development Process (One-Hour)

Thursday, July 23, 2026, from 11 a.m.–12 p.m. Eastern Time

  • Step 1: Define business problems with measurable goals
  • Step 2: Collect high-quality historical data and preprocess and structure data using feature engineering
  • Step 3: Select the appropriate AI/ML models
  • Step 4: Train and validate AI/ML models (deep neural networks)
  • Step 5: Test and verify AI/ML results via experimental/production trials
  • Step 6: Deploy models in operations and manage model updates and lifecycle

Register for Session 2: Six-Step AI/ML Model Development Processes

Session 3: Industry Challenges and Case Studies of AI/ML Applications (One-Hour)

Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026, from 11 a.m.–12 p.m. Eastern Time

  • R&D: Example – Optimization of material properties and process development
  • Manufacturing: Example 1 – Reduce energy consumption; Example 2 – Prediction of glass furnace wear
  • Commercial Operations: Example 1 – Market demand projection; Example 2 – Sales churn prediction/prevention

Register for Session 3: Industry Challenges and Case Studies

Registration (per session)

  • ACerS member: Free
  • ACerS student member: Free
  • Non-member: $30
  • Student non-member: $15

Please note: Registrants will receive access to each session recording. Please contact Amanda Engen at aengen@ceramics.org for questions.

Speaker Biographies

Headshot of a man wearing glasses and a blue shirt.

Robert Fu, Ph.D., Co-Founder, CEO & CTO, ZW LLC

Robert is a seasoned business and innovation executive with over 25 years of unparalleled experience in the advanced materials industry, honed at multinational giants like Corning and former GE. His career is marked by a consistent track record of transformative leadership, under which his teams have successfully launched innovative products that collectively generated over $1 billion in annual revenue for his previous employers.

Robert's extensive and impactful background inspired him to co-found ZW LLC with his business partner, Mitch Odinak. By combining their technical expertise, industrial experience, and business leadership, ZW has successfully developed two AI/ML software products. Robert earned a Ph.D. in Chemical/Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, along with an Executive Business Management Certificate from Wharton, University of Pennsylvania.

Headshot of a man wearing glasses and a blue shirt.

Mitch Odinak, Co-Founder, Chief Commercial Officer, ZW LLC

Mitch is an experienced executive business leader with more than 20 years of industrial experience in Advanced Materials at Corning Incorporated. Mitch led customer and supply chain programs resulting in the growth to $100 million for a key new product line, ran business development and strategy for a $1B global division, and led reviews of major corporate innovation programs with all of Corning’s C-suite executives.

Mitch has managed numerous product innovation programs, including manufacturing deployment through complex supply chains.  Mitch has “hands-on” experience with what’s needed to drive technology into manufacturing organizations. Mitch has an MBA from Harvard, an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from MIT, and a B.S. in Engineering from Brown.

About ZW LLC

Founded in 2022 by Robert Fu and Mitch Odinak, AI/ML solutions provider ZW (Chapel Hill, N.C.) offers cutting-edge AI and ML solutions for advanced materials industries, particularly glass and ceramics, with applications in semiconductors, electronics, telecommunications and photonics, biopharma and biotechnology, automotive and aerospace, renewable and clean energy technologies, CO2 treatment, and more.

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