Professor McLean is recognized worldwide as Canada's most distinguished scientist in the field of physical chemistry of steelmaking. Additional contributions have included plasma processing, sensor development and net-shape casting of novel materials. His philosophy has been to develop fundamental understanding of scientific phenomena and facilitate implementation of the acquired knowledge within production systems. He has authored over four hundred technical papers and six books. The numerous honours and awards which he has received from institutions and societies in Europe, Japan and the Americas are evidence of the high regard in which Professor McLean is held by the international metallurgical community.