OBITUARY

Professor Alek Samarin died 06/03/2026

Professor Alek Samarin FTSE passed away on 6/3/2026. He was elected in 1988, a recognition of his international reputation and leadership on materials science focused on concrete.

Working with manufacturers and global collaborators, he spent a large portion of his career contributing to various standards bodies around concrete durability and non-destructive testing.

He was a very active Fellow from the time of his election, chairing the Prizes and Awards Committee from 1992 to 1994, taking on a role on the ATSE Council in 1996, and contributing to the Climate Change Forum from 2008 to 2013. He was also Deputy Chair of the NSW Division from 1996 to 1999 and was a member of the Energy and Infrastructure Forums for many years.

Dr Samarin has established an international reputation for his work on concrete, carried out for over 30 years in industry in Australia. His principal contributions have been to concrete durability, and to non-destructive testing; he is the author of over 30 publications, relating to these topics. Dr Samarin serves by invitation on 3 ASTM and 2 RILEM standards committees, as well as Australian standards committees relating to cement and concrete. He is currently the leader of a large research team in the field of materials technology, working for the largest Australian manufacturer of building and construction materials and products