SMTA is honored to announce Abdelrahman Farrag, a Ph.D. candidate from State University of New York at Binghamton, has been selected as the winner of the 2025 Charles Hutchins Educational Grant.
The SMTA Grant Committee selected Abdelrahman’s project entitled “Advancing Physics-Informed Machine Learning in Surface Mount Technology.” He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Electronic Engineering.
The Charles Hutchins Educational Grant was established in memory of past SMTA president, educator, mentor, and industry colleague, Dr. Charles Hutchins. The $8000 grant has been presented annually since 1998 to a full-time, graduate-level student pursuing a degree and working on thesis research in electronics assembly, electronics packaging, or a related field.
The award was presented at the 2025 SMTA International Conference, October 19-23, 2025 in Rosemont, IL, USA.
The SMTA will begin accepting applications for the 2026 Charles Hutchins Educational Grant in early 2026. View details at the website: https://smta.org/page/hutchins-grant
Please contact Dan Atwood, hutchins@smta.org or +1-952-920-7682, with questions.
SMTA – A Global Association Working at a Local Level
SMTA is an international network of professionals who build skills, share practical experience and develop solutions in Electronics Manufacturing (EM), including microsystems, emerging technologies, and related business operations.










