Hydrometallurgy Ernest Peters Master's Award
2026 Recipient
Rym Doumaz, University of Québec
For outstanding accomplishments in the pursuit of a Master’s degree in hydrometallurgy.
Rym Doumaz is an international research master’s student in Mineral Engineering at Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue in Rouyn-Noranda, Québec. She is currently conducting research on the performance of arsenic treatment processes in alkaline effluents generated from the alkaline-sulfide leaching of copper sulfide concentrates using precipitation, sorption, and ion exchange techniques. Through her work, she aims to support the development of more sustainable and environmentally responsible practices in the mining industry.
Originally from Algeria, she holds an engineering degree in Mining Engineering from École Nationale Polytechnique d’Alger, where she specialized in resource valorization and waste management, including the recovery of lithium from spent lithium-ion batteries through bioleaching.
Looking ahead, Rym aims to build a career in sustainable extractive metallurgy, contributing to innovative solutions for critical metal recovery and responsible resource management.
Outside the lab, you’ll find her running, climbing, or reading French literature.
| 2025 – Sara Saffaj, Université Laval | 2024 – Tarantoj Singh, Laurentian University |
| 2023 – Philip Gamboa, McGill University | 2022 – JoonKyung Koong, McGill University |
| 2021 – Noel Devaere, University of Toronto | 2020 – Guillermo Alvial-Hein, Queen’s University |
| 2019 – Hiroki Fukuda, University of British Columbia | 2018 – Chengqian (Charles) Wu (Queen’s University) |
| 2017 – Eric Shum (University of Toronto) |
Ernest (Ernie) Peters (1926-2009) received his B.A.Sc. in Metallurgical Engineering in 1949. Upon graduation, he took a job in a steel mill in Utah, but in fall 1950, he returned to UBC to do an M.A.Sc. thesis on “The Leaching of Uranium from Pitchblende Ores.” He then took employment with the Consolidated Mining and Smelting Co. Ltd. (now Cominco Ltd.) in Trail, BC as a Research Engineer. He again returned to UBC in 1953, with a Cominco Fellowship and finished a Ph.D. thesis in 1956, on “The Homogeneous Activation of Molecular Hydrogen by Cupric Species in Aqueous Solutions.” Following his Ph.D., he worked with Union Carbide Co. in Niagara Falls, Ontario, until 1958, when he was appointed Assistant Professor in the Department of Mining and Metallurgy at UBC. Thereafter, he dedicated his research to hydrometallurgy with Professor Frank Forward as mentor.
His legacy remains huge in the hydrometallurgy community in Canada and abroad.
Scholarship Terms
To encourage graduate studies in the field of hydrometallurgy, the Hydrometallurgy Section offers one (1) award of $3,000 to honour the accomplishments of a Master’s graduate student in the field of hydrometallurgy in a Canadian university.
In addition to the cash award, we award one free registration for the conference at which we present the award, plus free admission to the social events we sponsor at that conference.
Eligibility
To be eligible the candidate should be registered in a Master’s (M.Sc., M.Eng., M.A.Sc.) program in the field of hydrometallurgy during the entire academic year in a Canadian university.
Applications must include: 1) A copy of the applicant’s academic transcripts 2) A summary of the project, including preliminary results, a discussion concerning subsequent project orientation, and a list of prepared publications or conference presentations (2-3 pages maximum)
Submit your application
Email your application package to Georgios Kolliopoulos and Ramanpal Saini, Chairs of Student Support at: Georgios.Kolliopoulos@gmn.ulaval.ca and ramanpal.saini@vale.com
Application deadline: February 10, 2026
The call for scholarship applications is closed for 2026.