MEMBRE D’HONNEUR 2025

Hatem ZUROB

Chair of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

Dr. Zurob completed his Ph.D. studies at McMaster University under the supervision of Dr. Gary Purdy and Dr. George Weatherly, who introduced him to the fields of thermomechanical processing and phase transformations.  During his Ph.D. studies, he was introduced to physics-based modelling through collaborations with Dr. Yves Brechet in Grenoble.   After completing his doctoral studies, Dr. Zurob spent time at the University of Grenoble Alpes and Oxford University as a post doctoral fellow working with Dr. Yves Brechet and Dr.  George Smith.  Dr. Zurob joined McMaster as an Assistant Professor in 2005.  He was promoted to Associate Professor in 2012 and Professor in 2017. Dr. Zurob is presently serving as Chair of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering.

The aim of Dr. Zurob’s research is to understand and control microstructure development in engineering materials with the goal of optimizing mechanical properties. Dr. Zurob worked on several topics in this area with strong collaborations with colleagues in France, including colleagues at UGA, University of Lorraine, INSA of Lyon, ArcelorMittal and Aperam.

Working with Drs. Hutchinson, Purdy and Brechet, Dr. Zurob developed a physics-based model for planar ferrite growth taking into account the effects of solute drag and kinetics transitions.  More recently and in collaboration with Dr. Benrabah (Lorraine), Dr. Zurob has been developing a diffusional-displacive model for bainite lengthening.

Dr. Zurob continues to work on thermomechanical processing.  Through the support of the McMaster Steel Research Centre his team has developed a software package for modelling microstructure evolution during hot-rolling.

Inspired by Dr. Embury and Dr. Bouaziz, Dr. Zurob pursued several collaborations on the development of functionally graded steel.  Many of these involved partners in France including ArcelorMittal, UGA and INSA. 

In addition to his research interests, Dr. Zurob is passionate about promoting materials science and engineering.  Between 2010-2025, he was the Chair of ASM Materials Camps Canada which is a charity the organizes materials science camps for students and teachers.  Dr. Zurob is a strong advocate for student exchanges.  He is the coordinator of the materials engineering student exchange between McMaster and UGA.