Sustainable Powder Technologies
Prof. José M. Torralba is Metallurgical Engineer (1982, Technical University of Madrid –UPM-) and Armament and Materials Engineer (1986, Escuela Politécnica Superior del Ejército, EPSE). He has also two PhD degrees: Dr. Eng. Metallurgy (1985, UPM) and Dr. Eng. Armament (1994, EPSE). He has been Head of the Materials Science and Engineering Department (UC3M), Vice-rector for Academics Infrastructures (UC3M), Vice-rector for Research and Innovation (UC3M). Director-General for Universities and Research of Madrid Regional Government and Higher Artistic Arts Studies. He is Professor of MSE at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. Currently a Senior Researcher, he is the former Director of IMDEA Materials Institute.
Research Interests
Prof. Torralba’s main scientific-technical field of interest is Powder Metallurgy (PM), specially powder development and characterization and advanced consolidation methods (field assisted sintering, metal injection moulding, additive manufacturing…). He has worked with most of PM families of materials, such as low alloyed steels, special steels, hardmetals, superalloys, light alloys and metal matrix composites, high entropy alloys, etc…
He focuses his research activity in the physical metallurgy of the materials and the microstructural development. He has published more than 500 scientific papers (200 peer reviewed) and supervised 28 PhD thesis. He is editor in Chief (co-editor) of Powder Metallurgy journal.
Academic and Professional Career
- 2025 – Present: Senior Researcher, IMDEA Materials Institute
- 2021 – 2025: Director, IMDEA Materials Institute
- 2015 – 2019: Director-General for Universities and Research of Madrid Regional Government and Higher Artistic Arts Studies
- 2009 – 2015: Deputy Director of Institute IMDEA Materials
- 2004 – 2006: Vice-rector for Research and Innovation (UC3M)
- 2000 – 2004: Vice-rector for Academics Infrastructures (UC3M)
- 1999 – 2000: Head of the Materials Science and Engineering Department (UC3M)
- 1996: Professor at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid
- 1987: Associate professor at Technical University of Madrid
Honours, Awards and Fellowships
- 2025: Full Member, Spanish Royal Academy of Engineering
- 2021: FEMS Gold Medal
- 2018: Fellow of the European Powder Metallurgy Association
- 2015: Fellow American Powder Metallurgy Institute
- 2014: Honor Award of the University College Fernando Abril Martorell
- 2013: European Powder Metallurgy Association Special Services Award
- 2007: Honoris Causa Doctorate by the University of Craiova (Romania)
- 2005: Slovak Academy of Sciences Award
- 2001: Honoris Causa Doctorate by the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca (Romania)
- 2000: “Professor Fryderyk Staub” Award by the Silesian University of Technology (Poland)
