Diran Apelian is Distinguished Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of California, Irvine (UCI). During summer and fall terms he is the Alcoa-Howmet Professor of Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). Apelian is founding Director of the Metal Processing Institute (MPI) at WPI and inaugural director of the New England Hub for Advanced Manufacturing (Industry 4.2).
He received his B.S. degree in Metallurgical Engineering from Drexel University (1968) and his Doctorate in Materials Science and Engineering from MIT (1972). After graduating from MIT, he joined Bethlehem Steel’s Homer Research Laboratories. He joined Drexel University in 1976 and went on to become Professor, Head of the Department of Materials Engineering, Associate Dean of the College of Engineering and subsequently Vice-Provost. He joined WPI in July 1990 as the Institute’s Provost and led a mission to broaden WPI’s academic programs and research agenda.
After a six-year tenure as Provost, Diran founded the Metal Processing Institute (MPI) at WPI, which is the largest industry-university alliance in North America dedicated to metals processing.
Apelian is a member of four academies: NAE (National Academy of Engineering), National Academy of Inventors (NAI), European Academy of Science, and the Armenian Academy of Sciences and an honorary member of NADCA and AFS. He is a Fellow of TMS, ASM, and APMI.
Apelian's contributions to Howmet Corporation led to the establishment of the Alcoa-Howmet Chair Professorship at WPI, a chair that he currently holds. Apelian is the Founding Chief-Editor of the Journal of Sustainable Metallurgy.
Apelian is credited for pioneering work in molten metal processing and filtration of metals, aluminum foundry engineering, plasma deposition and spray casting/forming, and resource recovery and recycling. Prof. Apelian has been honored with a number of awards:
With his colleagues and students, he has founded 5 companies/ventures:
Apelian has over 700 publications, 18 patents, and 15 books to his credit. Dr. Apelian serves on several corporate boards, as well as on the strategic/science councils of several global corporations.
He received his B.S. degree in Metallurgical Engineering from Drexel University (1968) and his Doctorate in Materials Science and Engineering from MIT (1972). After graduating from MIT, he joined Bethlehem Steel’s Homer Research Laboratories. He joined Drexel University in 1976 and went on to become Professor, Head of the Department of Materials Engineering, Associate Dean of the College of Engineering and subsequently Vice-Provost. He joined WPI in July 1990 as the Institute’s Provost and led a mission to broaden WPI’s academic programs and research agenda.
After a six-year tenure as Provost, Diran founded the Metal Processing Institute (MPI) at WPI, which is the largest industry-university alliance in North America dedicated to metals processing.
Apelian is a member of four academies: NAE (National Academy of Engineering), National Academy of Inventors (NAI), European Academy of Science, and the Armenian Academy of Sciences and an honorary member of NADCA and AFS. He is a Fellow of TMS, ASM, and APMI.
Apelian's contributions to Howmet Corporation led to the establishment of the Alcoa-Howmet Chair Professorship at WPI, a chair that he currently holds. Apelian is the Founding Chief-Editor of the Journal of Sustainable Metallurgy.
Apelian is credited for pioneering work in molten metal processing and filtration of metals, aluminum foundry engineering, plasma deposition and spray casting/forming, and resource recovery and recycling. Prof. Apelian has been honored with a number of awards:
- AFS Howard Taylor Gold Medal (1987)
- AFS Scientific Merit Award (1990)
- ASM’s Henry Marion Howe Medal (1990)
- Champion H. Mathewson Gold Medal (1992)
- Northwestern Polytechnic University Honorary Doctorate/Professor, Xian, China (1997)
- Honorary Member, French Materials Engineering Society- SF2M (2000)
- ASM, APMI and TMS Fellow
- TMS Bruce Chalmers Award (2006)
- WPI Board of Trustees’ award for Outstanding Research and Creative Scholarship (2006).
- Acta Materiallia’s Hollomon Award (2007)
- Brimacombe prize (2007
- National Materials Advancement Award (2010)
- British Foundry Medal (2010)
- Tsinghua University Global Scholar Fellow (2011)
- Bernard Gordon Prize for Innovation in Engineering Education was (2016)
- ASM’s Gold medal (2016)
- WPI's Innovator of the Year (2018)
With his colleagues and students, he has founded 5 companies/ventures:
- Materials Strategies LLC
- Battery Resourcers Inc
- Melt Cognition LLC
- Solvus Global LLC
- Kinetic Batteries.
Apelian has over 700 publications, 18 patents, and 15 books to his credit. Dr. Apelian serves on several corporate boards, as well as on the strategic/science councils of several global corporations.