Ronald Latanision
Neil Armstrong Distinguished Visiting Professor (2023-2026)
Dr. Latanision's Impact
- His research focus is on the materials of construction for nuclear engineering plants, ensuring that when engineering systems are put into service, they can function in that environment.
- Latanision will harness what he learned during his collaboration with the Edwardson School of Industrial Engineering as he embarks on the second part of his tenure in the School of Nuclear Engineering, working with Stylianos Chatzidakis, assistant professor of nuclear engineering.
- “Most of my career has been spent trying to prevent environmentally-induced cracking, but my colleagues in industrial engineering and I are trying to take advantage of it. We have discovered that some environments will embrittle metals locally and actually use that in a constructive way. You don’t try to avoid it; you try to use it.”
-Ronald Latanision
Prior to joining Exponent, Ronald Latanision was the director of The H.H. Uhlig Corrosion Laboratory in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at MIT and held joint faculty appointments in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and in the Department of Nuclear Engineering. He led the School of Engineering's Materials Processing Center at MIT as its director from 1985-1991. He is now an emeritus professor at MIT. In April 2015, he was appointed an adjunct professor in the Key Laboratory of Nuclear Materials and Safety Assessment of the Institute of Metal Research of The Chinese Academy of Sciences.
He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is also a fellow of ASM International and NACE International. From 1983-1988, Latanision was the first holder of the Shell Distinguished Chair in Materials Science at MIT. He was a founder of Altran Materials Engineering Corporation, established in 1992. Latanision has served in several capacities at Exponent, including principal and director of the Mechanics and Materials Practice — the company's largest practice, corporate vice president, and currently as its first senior fellow.
In 2023-2024, Latanision was hosted by the Edwardson School of Industrial Engineering (IE). Activities included ongoing research collaboration with Srinivasan Chandrasekar, professor of industrial engineering, on materials processing and environment-assisted failures, initiating new collaborations with IE faculty, and a seminar was provided on the Evolution of the Materials Genome Initiative. Additionally, Latanision interacted with faculty and students across campus interested in materials processing, environment-assisted failures, nuclear energy, and public policy.
In 2024-2025, Latanision is hosted by the School of Nuclear Engineering in collaboration with Stylianos Chatzidakis, Assistant Professor of Nuclear Engineering and Associate Reactor Director and Director of Nuclear Engineering Radiation Laboratory.