Evgueni Jak

Professor Evgueni Jak is a distinguished Professor in Pyrometallurgy at the School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland (UQ). He co-founded and directs the Pyrometallurgy Innovation Centre (PYROSEARCH), leading major research programs in copper and lead thermochemistry with industry partners like Aurubis, BHP, and Rio Tinto. Holding a Master’s in Metallurgy from St Petersburg Polytechnique University (1984) and a PhD in Pyrometallurgy from UQ (1995), he has authored over 400 scientific papers and secured substantial funding, including ARC Linkage (2002-06) and Trailblazer (2023-2026) grants.

• Education:
  • Master of Engineering (Metallurgy), St Petersburg Polytechnique University, Russia (1984)
  • PhD in Pyrometallurgy, The University of Queensland (1995)

His research focuses on pyrometallurgy and high-temperature processing, including experimental phase equilibria, thermodynamic modeling of slag systems (e.g., Al2O3-CaO-FeO-Fe2O3-SiO2-PbO-ZnO), and viscosity modeling. Key contributions involve developing methodologies for measuring phase equilibria, optimizing industrial processes, and studying slag-refractory interactions. His 15 most recent articles highlight trends in thermodynamic modeling, element distribution in slag-metal systems, and sustainable metallurgy.

Professor Jak has received numerous scientific awards, including the 2002 UQ Foundation Excellence Award, multiple Best Paper Awards from journals like Metallurgical Transactions and Canadian Metallurgical Quarterly, and the TMS Extraction and Processing Science Award (2018, 2020). His work spans fundamental research and industrial applications, with a focus on computational thermodynamics and process optimization. He leads major collaborations with global companies and has contributed to the FactSage thermodynamic database.