MetSoc Technical Sections
The Metallurgy and Materials Society of CIM (MetSoc) consists of six technical sections:
- Hydrometallurgy
- Light Metals
- Materials
- Minerals Science and Engineering
- Pyrometallurgy
- Sustainability
To contact any of the Chairs of Section, join CIM and see our Member Directory
Hydrometallurgy
The Hydrometallurgy Section focuses on the principles and practice of extraction of metals from ores or concentrates and their subsequent transformation into useable forms by means of environmentally sound aqueous processes. Visit: www.hydrometallurgysection.org
Light Metals
The Light Metals Section is concerned with light metals such as Aluminum, Magnesium, Titanium, Lithium, Strontium and Silicon. The Section examines issues such as extraction and refining, fabrication and applications, materials characterization, recycling and the potential for industrial and commercial development.
Sumanth Shankar
Professor
Director: Light Metal Casting Research Centre (LMCRC)
Department of Mechanical Engineering
McMaster University
Materials
The focus of the Materials Section is on all secondary processing of materials. The Section is concerned with aspects of the in-situ performance of materials, under a full range of service conditions (thermal, mechanical and chemical). Emphasis is also placed upon the micro design and engineering of high-performance materials, advanced processing technologies and microstructure and property characterization of both metallic and non-metallic inorganic materials.
Yu Zou
Department of Materials Science & Engineering
University of Toronto
Dr. Yu Zou joined the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Toronto (U of T) as an Assistant Professor in January 2018. Before joining U of T in 2018, he was a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), working on laser-based metal additive manufacturing with Prof. A. John Hart. He received his Doctor of Sciences in Materials from ETH Zurich in 2016 with Prof. Ralph Spolenak. His doctoral thesis focused on small-scale plasticity of ionic crystals, high-entropy alloys, and quasicrystals. He was also a JSPS visiting scholar at Kyoto University in 2014, working on in situ nanomechanical testing with Prof. Takayuki Kitamura. He received his master’s and bachelor’s degrees from McGill University and Beihang University, respectively, all in materials science and engineering.
At McGill, he worked on cold sprayed metallic coatings with Profs. Jerzy Szpunar and Stephen Yue. At U of T, he directs the Laboratory for Extreme Mechanics & Additive Manufacturing (LEMAM). His group uses novel experimental, simulation and analytical methods to explore new metallic materials and advance fields of vital importance to society, including the aerospace, biomedical, and energy sectors. Currently, his group has four primary emphases: (i) multi-metal additive manufacturing, (ii) high-entropy alloys, (iii) multiscale mechanical testing, and (iv) machine learning for material design and manufacturing. Dr. Zou is currently serving as the Chair of the Materials Technical Section in the Metallurgy and Materials Society of CIM (MetSoc) in Canada.
Minerals Science and Engineering
The Mineral Sciences and Engineering Section brings together scientists, engineers and academics in Mineral Processing, Mineralogy and other related subjects. Emphasis is on fundamentals, research and development. The constituents of the section are mostly researchers and development engineers from industry, research centers and universities.
Charlotte Gibson
Assistant Professor
Robert M. Buchan Department of Mining
Queen’s University
Pyrometallurgy
The Pyrometallurgy Section promotes the active exchange of information within the Canadian base metal industry. This group of researchers and industrial operators focuses on thermodynamics, slag chemistry, process fundamentals, furnace design, operating practices, minor element behavior and off-gas treatment.
Elmira Moosavi
École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS)
Elmira has more than 10 years of knowledge and expertise in computational and experimental thermodynamics and its applications to high-temperature metallurgical processes and materials design. Elmira received her Ph.D. from McGill University in 2015. After completing two postdoctoral programs—the first at McGill University in 2016 and the second at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology the following year—Elmira went to the Netherlands in 2017 as a Senior Researcher at Tata Steel Europe. There, she became involved in various research projects geared toward sustainable operations. In August 2019, she joined Aurubis AG in Germany, a global leader in producing and recycling copper, precious metals, and other non-ferrous metals, and the largest copper producer in Europe. There, she played a leading role in multiple optimization, development, and exploration projects such as recycling precious metals, platinum group metals, and other rare metals from by-products and wastes in the metal industry. Since July 2021, Elmira has been appointed a professorship position at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS), Montreal. She intends to continue to contribute to sustainability, circular economy, and low-carbon economy in the metallurgical industry.
Sustainability
The Sustainability Section provides a forum for the exchange of knowledge and skills in technical and environmental areas between professionals in the metallurgical and materials industry. The Section’s activities reflect the current needs of the industry. Our mandate is to provide leadership in knowledge sharing and professional development for a broad range of environmental fields, and in the development of environmental practices and standards.
Brittany MacKinnon
Hatch
Brittany (Britt) MacKinnon joined Hatch in June 2019 after completing her Applied Sciences degree in Chemical Engineering and Certificate in Business at Queen’s University. Since joining Hatch, Britt has worked with the Pyrometallurgy sector practice on a Greenfield Pig Iron Feasibility Study, with the Hydrometallurgy sector practice on a Battery Recycling Project, with the Advisory practice on a Catastrophic Risk Assurance Project, and most recently with the Pyrometallurgy sector practice on an Integrated Steelworks Expansion FEL2. Britt is passionate about continuous learning and understanding the dynamic Canadian metallurgy sector. Britt enjoys collaborating with others to find innovative solutions to challenges, especially about how to create a more sustainable metallurgical industry. Britt enjoyed being the COM 2021 Short Course Chair and Symposium Organizer for WALSIM IX: Water, Air, Land Sustainability Issues in Mining and Metal Extraction. Britt also enjoyed being the COM 2022 Symposium Co-Chair for Towards Sustainable Circularity: Mining to Materials. Britt is honoured to be a COM 2023 Symposium Co-Chair for Integration for Better Outcomes. Britt is an enthusiastic catalyst for positive change in her approach to project work and interactions with teammates and clients alike.