History of CMRDI Presidents

Central Metallurgical R&D Institute (CMRDI) is unique in covering a wide range of metallurgical fields starting from mineral evaluation & beneficiation, passing through metallurgical & chemical processing, ending with materials processing and performance. CMRDI still has a say in advanced materials including nano-materials, electronic & magnetic materials, composite materials, refractory & ceramic materials. For over more than 4 decades, CMRDI has been working on industry-oriented R&D projects as well as technical support to the Egyptian industries. Needless to say that CMRDI owes this achievement to dedicated efforts and cooperation of all the staff members under the talented guidance of the former leaders of CMRDI, Prof. M. K. Hussein who managed to establish CMRDI through a project with UNIDO. Prof. A. Abdul Azim followed after, is a worldwide known leader and the First President of the institute. He put CMRDI on the right track as the first industry-oriented research institute in Egypt, through collaboration with reputed research institutes worldwide. The pursuit of excellence was continued by Prof. Aziza Youssef, a pioneer scientist with international recognition in the field of mineral processing, her contribution in processing and improving local minerals is well recognized, not only in Egypt but also in the region. The mission was continued by Prof. A. Nofal, a worldwide known expert who established the experimental foundry at CMRDI through international cooperation with TNO-The Netherlands. Establishing the technical services center at CMRDI is among his valuable achievements. The advanced melting and casting unit that he has established 20 years ago, including vacuum melting and investment casting is the only one in Egypt. CMRDI progress was continued by Prof. B. Zaghloul, an internationally recognized expert who established the welding technology and NDT department at CMRDI through cooperation with JICA-Japan. He has also established the additive manufacturing lab at CMRDI, as the first lab in Egypt. Restructuring process of CMRDI, where four new advanced materials labs were created, is among his remarkable achievements. The mission was continued by Prof. M. Nasr, an eminent scientist with international recognition in the field of pyro-metallurgical processing, Prof. I. Ahmed, a pioneer scientist in the field of chemical metallurgy, Prof. N. Abdel-Khalek, a pioneer scientist in the field of mineral beneficiation, Prof. T. Mattar, a pioneer scientist in the field of steel making. All have done their best to maintain CMRDI pronounced performance and add to it. In this concern new important lab and pilot scale equipment were supplied, various chemical, physical and mechanical testing were accredited, TICO was established to strengthen connection with the industry, and projects funded by national & international agencies were remarkably increased.