John MacGregor, Professor Emeritus of Chemical Engineering, and Yves Bréchet, Adjunct Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, have been named International Members of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE).
MacGregor, who retired from McMaster University in 2008 and now serves as Professor Emeritus, remains closely connected to the McMaster Advanced Control Consortium (MACC) while also leading ProSensus Inc., a company he helped spin out of MACC in 2004. He continues to be deeply involved in collaborative research focused on multivariate statistical methods. His work centres on helping engineers and scientists make better use of the large volumes of data collected in modern industrial processes, with applications in real‑time process monitoring, control and optimization, digital imaging for on‑line quality measurement and advanced modeling and optimization tools that accelerate the development of new products and formulations.
Bréchet is Professor of Materials Science at Grenoble-INP in France, and an Adjunct Professor at McMaster and Jiaotong in China. Previously an industry consultant and member of the French National Commission for Nuclear Waste, he was appointed High Commissioner for Atomic Energy in 2012. He is also a member of the French Academy of Sciences. A graduate of the École Polytechnique and holder of a doctorate in materials physics, his work focuses on microstructural transformations in metals and alloys, microstructure/properties relationships and materials selection methods. More recently, his analysis of architectures in natural materials has served as a guide to the development of “tailor-made materials”, combining multimaterials and geometries to extend the field of conventional materials. In 2012, Bréchet received an honorary doctorate from McMaster.
Election to the NAE is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer. Academy membership honors individuals who have made outstanding contributions to engineering research, practice or education. Members are also recognized for pioneering new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of engineering or developing and implementing innovative approaches to engineering education.
John and Yves are two of the 28 International Members named to the NAE’s 2026 class.
