Fraunhofer IWS Scientist Receives TSS President’s Award

Dr. Filofteia-Laura Toma, senior research scientist at the Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology IWS in Dresden, has been named the recipient of the 2025 “TSS President’s Award for Meritorious Service”. Presented on May 7 by the U.S.-based Thermal Spray Society (TSS), the award honors her scientific excellence and her long-standing leadership within the international materials engineering community.

Dr. Toma is widely regarded as one of the world’s well-known experts in thermal spray processes for high-performance ceramic and hardmetal coatings. At Fraunhofer IWS, she leads the development of advanced coating technologies for functionalizing fiber-reinforced composites and lightweight structures – key to applications in aerospace, energy and mechanical engineering. Her current research focuses on combining laser structuring with high velocity oxy-fuel spraying (HVOF) and suspension plasma spraying (SPS). She also investigates suspension-based laser cladding to develop customized coatings for TBC and hydrogen-related applications.

Global Influence through scientific leadership

Beyond her lab work, Dr. Toma plays a vital role in shaping the global thermal spray community. She serves on the Thermal Spray Society's board of directors. Furthermore, she has actively contributed to the Journal of Thermal Spray Technology (JTST) and ASM-TSS events for over a decade. Her editorial responsibilities have grown steadily, including roles as co-editor and guest editor for the Proceedings of the International Thermal Spray Conferences (ITSC) and JTST special issues. She also supports the TSS organizing committees and co-founded the TSS initiative “Women in Thermal Spray” (WiTS). In addition, she serves on several national and international advisory and scientific boards.

“This award recognizes not only an outstanding scientist but also a dedicated bridge builder between research, application and professional networks,” says Prof. Christoph Leyens, Director of Fraunhofer IWS. “We are proud to have Dr. Toma among us, a colleague who is continuously advancing thermal coating as a key technology for next-generation engineering.”

(Source: Fraunhofer IWS)