Ma Qian

Dr. Ma Qian is a Distinguished Professor of Advanced Manufacturing and Materials at RMIT University's Centre for Additive Manufacturing, which he joined in 2013. Prior to that, he held various academic and research positions at Portsmouth University (UK), Brunel University (UK), The Univeristy of Queensland (Australia), the National University of Singapore (Singapore), Kyushu Institute of Technology (Japan), and Tsinghua University (China).

Awards and Honours:

• FAPMI (2025), Fellow of American Powder Metallurgy Institute International (APMI), Metal Powder Industries Federation (MPIF), USA. 

This prestigious lifetime achievement award is bestowed upon no more than two individuals annually. First FAPMI for contributions to both PM and AM.

• Stanford-Elsevier Career-long Impact Rankings: Top 0.007% of Materials Scientists Globally (Ranked #216 out of 314,339  researchers). DOI:10.17632/btchxktzyw.8.

• Australian Research Council (ARC) College of Experts (2023). Singapore National Research Foundation (NRF) College of Experts (2024) 

• Materials Australia's Lifetime Achievement Award (2022) – the Highest Individual Honour from Materials Australia

Silver Medal (no Gold) – reflecting the tradition of the 1st Olympic Games (Athens, 1896), where winners received Silver Medals instead of Gold.

• FASM (2020), Fellow of American Society for Metals International – ASM International is the World's foremost professional society for materials scientists, engineers and technicians (established in 1913)

• RMIT Distinguished Professor Award (2019)

• RMIT Engineering 2019 Executive Dean's Research Excellence Award – Level E (professorial level)

• American Society for Metals International (ASM) 2006 Henry Howe Marion Medal

• TMS Light Metals 2003 – Magnesium Technology Award

• The inaugural Australian CAST-CRC Industry Partners Award (2003)

• The Australian CAST-CRC Commercialisation Award (2003)

• Four best papaer awards from major conferences/symposia (2003 - 2013)

Selected 20 Publications (*: Corresponding author)  

1: T. Song, Z. Chen, X. Cui, S. Lu, H. Chen, H. Wang, T. Dong, B. Qin, K. C. Chan, M. Brandt, X. Liao, S. P. Ringer*, M. Qian*, "Strong and ductile titanium-oxygen-iron alloys by additive manufacturing", Nature, 2023, 618, 63–68.  

2. Haozhang Zhong, Tingting Song, Hongmei Liu, Chuanwei Li, Chenguang Li, Ming Wen, Zheda Ning, Jianfeng Gu, Ma Qian*, “Skeletal High Strength Nanoporous Copper and Metamaterials: The Hakka Tulou Design Heritage”, Advanced Materials, 2025, e03701. DOI: 10.1002/adma.202503701.

3: J. Noronha, J. Dash, J. Rogers, M. Leary, M. Brandt, M. Qian*, "Titanium multi-topology metamaterials with exceptional strength", Advanced Materials, 2024, 2308715.

4: Haozhang Zhong, Raj Das, Jianfeng Gu*, Ma Qian*, "Low-density, high-strength metal mechanical metamaterials beyond the Gibson-Ashby model", Materials Today, 2023, 68, 96-107.

5: Hongmei Liu, Shenglu Lu, Yingbo Zhang, Hui Chen, Yungui Chen, Ma Qian*, "Migration of solidification grain boundaries and prediction", Nature Communications, 2022, 13, 5910.

6: C. J. Todaro, M. A. Easton, D. Qiu, D. Zhang, M. J. Bermingham, E. W. Lui, M. Brandt, D. H. StJohn, M. Qian*, "Grain structure control during metal 3D printing by high-intensity ultrasound", Nature Communications, 2020, 11, 142.

7. Yahui Yang, Xiuxia Wang, Biao Chen, Shenglu Lu, Kaiyue Liu, Shota Kariya, Xianzhe Shi, Xiaozhou Liao, Katsuyoshi Kondoh, Ma Qian*, Jianghua Shen*, ^"Oxygen-mediated High Uniform Plasticity in α–β Titanium Alloys", Nature Communications, 2025. Accepted 14 September 2025.

8: I. Polmear, D. StJohn, J. F. Nie, M. Qian, Light Alloys: Metallurgy of Light Metals (5^th edition), 544 pages, Waltham, Massachusetts, Butterworth–Heinemann (Elsevier), 2017.

9: Ma Qian, F. H. Froes (editors), Titanium Powder Metallurgy: Science, Technology and Applications (ISBN: 978-0-12-800054-0), 648 pages, Butterworth-Heinemann, Elsevier, 2015 (contributed 5 chapters). 

10. W. Xu*, M. Brandt, S. Sun, J. Elambasseril, Q. Liu, K. Latham, K. Xia, M. Qian*, “Additive manufacturing of strong and ductile Ti-6Al-4V by selective laser melting via in situ martensite decomposition”, Acta Materialia, 2015, 85, 74-84.

11. M. Qian*, P. Cao, M. A. Easton, S. D. McDonald, D. H. StJohn, “An analytical model for constitutional supercooling driven grain formation and grain size prediction”, Acta Materialia, 2010, Vol. 58, 3262-3270. 

12. D. H. StJohn, M. Qian, M. A. Easton, P. Cao, “The interdependence theory: the relationship between grain formation and nucleant selection”, Acta Materialia, 2011, 59, 4907– 4921.

13. S. L. Lu, M. Qian*, H. P. Tang, M. Yan, J. Wang, D. H. StJohn, “Massive transformation in Ti-6Al-4V additively manufactured by selective electron beam melting”, Acta Materialia, 2016, 104, 303-311.

14. M. Qian*, “Heterogeneous nucleation on potent spherical substrates during solidification”, Acta Materialia, 2007, Vol. 55, pp. 943-953.

15. T. Song, M. Yan, N.A.S. Webster, M.J. Styles, J.A. Kimpton, M. Qian*, “In-situ and ex-situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction studies of microstructural length scale controlled dealloying”, Acta Materialia, 2019, 168, 376-392.

16. M. Qian, “Creation of Semisolid Slurries Containing Fine and Spherical Particles by Grain Refinement Based on the Mullins-Sekerka Stability Criterion”, Acta Materialia 2006, Vol.54, 2241-2252.

17. Ma Qian, “Non-Linear Capillary Shape Evolution of Rod Morphologies via Interfacial Diffusion” Acta Materialia, 1998, Vol. 46, pp. 1669-1681.

18. Ma Qian, Liu Baicheng, Li Runqi, “Thermodynamic considerations of the instability of rod morphologies,” Acta Metallurgica et Materialia, 1994, Vol. 42, pp. 4087-409.

19.X. Z. Zhang, H. P. Tang, J. Wang, L. Jia, Y. X. Fan, M. Leary, M. Qian, “Additive manufacturing of intricate lattice materials: Ensuring robust strut additive continuity to realize the design potential”, Additive Manufacturing, 2022, 58, 103022.

20. M. Yan, M.S. Dargusch, T. Ebel, M. Qian*, “Transmission electron microscopy and 3D atom probe study of oxygen-induced fine microstructural features in as-sintered Ti-6Al-4V and their impacts on ductility”, Acta Materialia 68 (2014) 196–206.

Google Scholar Profile

Major Editorial and Professional Activities

National and International Expert Committees

Australian Research Council (ARC) College of Experts — Member (12 Oct 2023 – 31 Dec 2026)

Singapore National Research Foundation (NRF) College of Experts — Member (8 Mar 2024 – present)

Editorial Roels

Academic Editor, Additive Manufacturing Book Series, Elsevier (sole appointment)

Associate Editor, Acta Materialia (2017 – present)

Associate Editor, Scripta Materialia (2017 – present)

Associate Editor, Journal of Materials Informatics

Associate Editor, Advanced Powder Materials (Elsevier)

Advisory Editor, Advanced Manufacturing and Materials, Elsevier

Subject Editor, JOM: The Journal of The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS)

Editorial Board Member, Additive Manufacturing Letters (Elsevier)

Editorial Board Member, Journal of Alloys and Metallurgical Systems (Elsevier)

Editorial Board Member, Rapid Prototyping Journal

Editorial Board Member, Powder Metallurgy (European Powder Metallurgy Association)

Editorial Board Member, Acta Metallurgica Sinica (English Letters)

Editorial Board Member, Powder Metallurgy Technology (China)

Manuscript Editor, Journal of Powder Materials (Official Journal of the Korean Powder Metallurgy & Materials Institute, KPMI)

Key Reader, Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A (2011 – 2017)

International Liaison Committee Member, International Journal of Powder Metallurgy

Professional Society Leadership

Chair, Publications Committee, Materials Australia

National Council Member, Materials Australia

Representative, TMS Materials Processing & Manufacturing Division (MPMD) to the TMS Education Committee

Representative, TMS Education Committee to the TMS MPMD Council (Feb 2024 – Feb 2027)

Member, TMS JOM Strategic Planning Committee

ASM Books Panel Member, ASM International