If you've ever wondered how global forces - demographic shifts, geopolitical realignments, the rise of AI, and the transformation of manufacturing - are reshaping the materials science and engineering profession, a newly published paper in the Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance is a compelling place to start.
"A Transformative Epoch in Materials Science & Engineering and Manufacturing" by @William Frazier, FASM (Pilgrim Consulting LLC), is based on his 2025 Alpha Sigma Mu Lecture delivered at ASM's IMAT conference in Detroit. The paper takes a deliberately wide lens, moving well beyond the laboratory to examine the Political, Economic, Social, and Technological (PEST) forces that Frazier argues are too often overlooked by engineers focused on the technical side of their work.
Some of the paper's most thought-provoking findings:
- China now accounts for 46% of global MS&E journal publications, while the U.S. share has dropped from 19% to 7.4% over the past two decades.
- The U.S. MS&E workforce remains strikingly non-diverse - only 16% women - even as the field faces growing demands that require broad, creative thinking.
- The pillars of Industry 4.0 - AI/machine learning, additive manufacturing, digital twins, and systems integration - are not future concepts. They are already redefining what it means to be a competitive materials engineer today.
- Knowledge management, Frazier argues, may be the profession's greatest enabler going forward - and its most underappreciated challenge.
Throughout the paper, Frazier poses pointed questions without professing to have all the answers: What skills will tomorrow's MS&E workforce need? How will declining manufacturing employment affect the profession? What does China's dramatic rise in R&D output mean for global technological leadership?
Whether you are a seasoned professional navigating these changes or a student just entering the field, this paper offers essential context for understanding where materials science sits in the broader world - and where it needs to go.
Frazier, W.E. A Transformative Epoch in Materials Science & Engineering and Manufacturing. J. of Materi Eng and Perform (2026). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-026-13447-4
As a benefit of membership, ASM members receive full-text online access to articles in the Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance. Journal Access Instructions.
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Scott Henry
Director of Content and Publishing
Liaison to ASM Technical Committees
ASM International
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