Voorhees Selected to Receive 2026 TMS Leadership Award

Northwestern Engineering’s Peter Voorhees has won the 2026 Leadership Award from The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS). 

Voorhees, Frank C. Engelhart Professor Emeritus of Materials Science and Engineering at the McCormick School of Engineering, studies the kinetics of phase transformations—changes in a material’s internal structure or state that alter its properties—through a combination of experiments, simulations, and theoretical modeling. His research spans processes such as the degradation of lithium-ion batteries, graphene growth on surfaces, and alloy solidification, and Voorhees’ work helps improve the design and manufacturing of advanced materials for applications in electronics, energy systems, and structural alloys.

“I am honored to have been selected for this prestigious award,” Voorhees said. “This recognition would not have been achievable without the unwavering support of my colleagues within the department and Northwestern.”

Twice the chair of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Northwestern Engineering, Voorhees recently transitioned to emeritus status. He originally joined the Northwestern faculty in January 1988.

The TMS Leadership Award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in the national and international materials community in some aspect of the fields of metallurgy and materials. 

Past Northwestern winners of the TMS Leadership Award include Julia Weertman (1997) and Lyle Schwartz (1994).