About Us

The MMPC was formed in 1990. Its mission is to operate as an internationally recognized Research Centre for studies in the processing and production of advanced metallurgical materials. The Centre aims to provide its researchers with first-class facilities and state of the art equipment to allow them to compete at the highest international levels. Within its laboratories, academics and their industrial counter-parts direct “leading-edge” research programs aimed at the sustainable processing, production, and characterization, of advanced materials by the ferrous and light metals industries.

Objectives

Aim for excellence

The MMPC's aim is an ambitious one. It strives to remain at the forefront of fundamental and applied research that provides obvious competitive advantages to its industrial partners, while at the same time producing students who are able to excel in a fiercely competitive business world.

Research

The Centre's research program is centred on the quantitative description and mathematical modelling of liquid and solid metal processing operations.  The MMPC has a particularly strong research program related to the manufacture, processing and characterisation of steels and the light metals.  The application of computers in mathematical analyses (e.g., computational fluid dynamics, metal textures), ceramic-metals interactions in process control, and in data acquisition and transfer (e.g., metal quality sensor equipment), are central themes of the MMPC's activities.

Modus Operandi

Qualification for academic membership in the MMPC requires that academic members will pursue innovative, high-level, process research, meeting international standards, making seminal contributions to the archival literature, and producing well-trained students able to compete and perform at the highest levels.

Historically, the MMPC first started out in 1990 (following Senate approval), as a highly rated FCAR (Fonde pour la Formation de Chercheurs et l'Aide a la Recherche) grant, currently FRQNT (Fonds de Recherche du Québec – Nature et Technologies). In 1995, the Modus Operandi was changed, focusing on excellence of its research program in Process Metallurgy, based on industrial support. The new model proved to be far more viable and effective. Significant progress has been made in building up an advanced program of research that is warmly supported by the metals industry.

Canadian and International companies in the ferrous and non-ferrous industries have been partners. As such, the MMPC has become a “real” International Centre for Process Metallurgy, supporting, and supported by, many large international companies, including some from Canada (Rio Tinto Iron and Titanium, Rio Tinto Metal Powders, INTRAL) and from abroad (Nippon Steel Corporation, Sumitomo Metals Industry).

Management Structure

Administratively, the MMPC has a Director and an Associate Director. The governance of the MMPC is the responsibility of its Board. The Director and Associate Director of the MMPC report to the Dean of Engineering, who acts as Chair of the McGill Board of the MMPC. The McGill Board of the MMPC included the Dean of Faculty of Engineering, Professor Viviane Yargeau. Our new Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Professor Viviane Yargeau, and/or her representative Professor Milica Popovich will act as Chair of the McGIll Board of the MMPC. The MMPC McGill Board also include the Vice-Principal Research & Innovation, Dr. Dominique Berube, Dr. Roderick Guthrie (as Director), and Dr Mihaiela Isac (as Associate Director), plus at least one of three (external) members of our International Advisory Board; our President, Mr Nigel Morrison, PISO President of Heritage Environmental LLC, USA, Prof-Dr. Robertus Boom (Scientific Advisor of M2i, and Emeritus Professor, Delft University), and Mrs. Chantal Labrecque, Director of Ferrous Products of Rio Tinto Iron and Titanium, Quebec (or alternatives, depending on availability). We elected to have a higher number (than requested) of external members to our McGill Board of the MMPC, to ensure that we can always count on their required presence at our Board meetings. We also have four other active professors who are also members of the MMPC, Professor Kinnor Chattopadhyay (University of Toronto), Professor Mamoun Medraj, (Concordia), and Professor Hani Henein (University of Alberta), plus a graduate student (M.Eng.) Daniel Gonzalez Morales (McGill).

The MMPC also reports to the Provost’s office, providing a Financial Report plus an Annual Research Report. The MMPC uniquely includes an International Advisory Board (IAB) comprising some 14 corporate members to whom the Director and Associate Director also report. The MMPC organisation further includes an Executive Academic Committee consisting of MMPC professors from McGill and other academic organizations, engaged in the various collaborative research themes and activities associated with the Centre. Similarly, the MMPC has several sub-committees comprising academics and industrial researchers working on the various generic research programs associated with the Centre’s research activities (strip casting, full scale water modelling, metal quality, safety performance of bio- and synthetic materials during handling of molten metals, and environmental protection-oriented studies).

Location

The offices of the MMPC are in the M. H. Wong Building (2M040, 2M050, and 2M051) of McGill University. Its laboratories include the Water Modelling laboratory located in McGill’s Wong Building, Room 3190, the High Temperature Laser Confocal Microscopy Laboratory, Wong Building, Room 3160. The MMPC’s 288 core High Performance Computer Cluster system occupies Room 3191. The 2000 sf MMPC Research Storage Facility, Room 3M020, was donated to the Department for general departmental use, in early 2022.

Executive Academic Commitee

International Advisory Board Supporting Companies (2024)

RIO TINTO Corporation (CANADA) SIM & TEC (ARGENTINA)

RIO TINTO - Fer et Titane (CANADA) ANSYS Inc. (USA)

RTMP – Rio Tinto Metal Powders HERAEUS Electro-Nite (USA)

ELKEM (NORWAY, USA) PIZO Environmental (USA)

TATA Steel (Europe) HATCH (Canada)

HAZELETT Strip Casting Corp. (USA) IMFINE (CANADA)

NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION (JAPAN) INTRAL, Quebec

Advisory Members of IAB of MMPC

Rob Boom, Chair IAB, Prof., Scientific Advisor, M2I, NETHERLANDS

Debashish Bhattacharjee Vice President Technology, Tata Steel Limited, Kolkata

Hideki Murakami General Manager, Head of Process Research Labs. NSSMC

Yuichi Tsukaguchi, Senior Researcher, NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METALS, JAPAN

Chantal Labrecque, Director Ferrous Product Research, Rio Tinto Fer et Titane, CANADA

Bruno Girard Chef Procédé Poudres et Aciérie, Rio Tinto Metals Powders

J.F. Barry Wood, V.P., Technology, HAZELETT STRIP CASTING CORP., USA

Frederic Laroche, ARDC director, RIO TINTO / ALCAN, CANADA

Vishal Ganore, Manager Academic, Strategic Partnership, ANSYS.

Sylvain Lemieux Process Development Engineer, RTMP.

Ole-Svein Klevan, Manager Technical Services, ELKEM, NORWAY

Patrick Lemieux, President, IMFINE, CANADA