Jean-Sébastien Thomas, former head of R&D for sustainability at ArcelorMittal, passed away in December 2014 and is now being honoured by having an award named after him.
The award will be given to the author of the best paper on sustainable development to be presented at the tenth annual Society and Materials (SAM) conference this May in Rome. The conference brings together material producers, scientists and other parties investigating the connection between society and materials.
ArcelorMittal described Jean-Sébastien Thomas as an eminent member of the sustainable development community, well-known to both his colleagues and industry peers, and that his sudden death was a shock to both.
Amongst his many achievements, Jean-Sébastien Thomas worked with numerous groups on the subject of sustainable development, from the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), to the European Steel Technology Platform (ESTEP) as well as leading a group of sustainable development experts at the World Steel Association. This association brings together of all the world's leading steelmakers. He is also the one who made the annual SAM conference a realty ten years ago.
A judging panel will name the most innovative paper presented during the conference and will award prize money of €2,000 during the conference gala dinner.
