TMS ONLINE | MEMBERS ONLY | SITE MAP TMS Board of Directors: Robert Stephens

Robert L. Stephens Director & Chair, EPD

Robert L. (Rob) Stephens is senior metallurgist, Technical Support at Teck Cominco Metals Limited’s Trail Operations in Trail, British Columbia, Canada. Prior to joining Teck Cominco in 1998, Stephens worked for Asarco and Ausmelt Technology Corporation in the United States and Ausmelt Limited in Australia.

He is also associated with Nature Works Remediation Corporation, which seeks to commercialize engineered wetlands technology for remediation of metals-contaminated effluents. Stephens earned his B.E. and Ph.D. in Chemical and Materials Engineering from the University of Auckland, New Zealand in 1988 and 1994, respectively. While completing his Ph.D., he taught various chemical engineering subjects as a full-time temporary lecturer.

Stephens’ professional interests include managing solutions for technical and business issues at metals production facilities, developing and implementing technology, providing strategic analysis for metals production facilities, and maintaining an adequate supply of well-trained technical staff for future industry needs. He also seeks innovative and disruptive technologies for metals production facilities and associated issues. He has published more than 20 papers and serves as an occasional reviewer for various journals.

Stephens is currently vice-chair of the TMS Extraction and Processing Division (EPD). He is also past chair and current member of the Pyrometallurgy and Recycling Committees, current member of the Pb/Zn, Cu/Ni/Co, and EPD Awards Committees, and has been the JOM Advisor for the Pyrometallurgy Committee since 1999. He co-organized Sulfide Smelting ’98, Sulfide Smelting 2002, and the Fourth International Symposium on Recycling of Metals and Engineered Materials in 2000. He was a Young Leader Intern for the EPD in 1999. Stephens also serves as an industrial advisor to the Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering at Montana Tech.