Hussein M. Zbib, 61, of Pullman, passed away Monday, Feb. 10, 2020, at his home. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, at the Washington State University CUB in the Junior Ballroom. Hussein was born Nov. 26, 1958 in Beirut, Lebanon, to Mustapha and Sahjouna Zbib. His parents were from South Lebanon. Hussein completed his schooling in Beirut, graduating from Aamlye Technical College. He came to the U.S. in 1979 and began his college education at Michigan Technological University in Houghton, Michigan. Hussein received his bachelors, masters and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering and engineering mechanics from MTU. He married Marcia Ann Rowe in Hancock, Mich., July 12, 1986, and in 1988 they moved to Pullman when Hussein accepted a position at Washington State University. A professor in the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering since 1988, he was recognized as an international leader in dislocation dynamics and plasticity theory and for his contributions in the fields of mechanics and materials science and engineering. He developed models and theories used by materials scientists and engineers around the world, improving understanding of the basic mechanics underlying deformation of metals. As director of WSU’s Computational Mechanics and Materials Science Laboratory, he conducted research in the field of multi-scale theoretical modeling and predictions of the thermo-mechanical behavior of advanced materials.
His research group, for instance, developed theoretical models to simulate the behavior of materials, such as copper, that are exposed to high doses of radiation. It was well known that such materials can deform and fail, but the mechanics were not well understood until Zbib and his co-workers developed a new class of computational tools.
He published more than 250 technical articles, edited 12 books and presented many invited talks. Zbib also served as editor of the prestigious journal, Journal of Engineering Materials and Technology, which is published by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). Over his career, he supervised and mentored more than 30 masters and doctoral students, six postdoctoral fellows, 11 visiting scholars and 15 undergraduate research assistants. Many of his students went on to become internationally recognized researchers and leaders in academia and at national laboratories.
He was a fellow of the American Association for Advancement of Science and the ASME as well as an executive member of the Lebanese Academy of Science. He was a recipient of the 2010 Khan International Award for outstanding contribution to the field of plasticity. He also received research excellence awards from the Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture in 1994 and in 2015 and from the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering in 2000. He was named a Regents Professor, the university’s highest faculty title, in 2018. He also served as the director of the School of MME from 2003-11.
Hussein enjoyed being with family and friends. He especially enjoyed visiting his mom in Lebanon every year. He enjoyed cooking and dancing; together with Marcia, they were active in Palouse dance club and gourmet club. Hussein also enjoyed golfing, fishing, boating, reading, cross country skiing, ping pong, tennis, going to fine dining restaurants and spending time at the gym exercising and swimming. Together, Hussein and Marcia enjoyed traveling both throughout the U.S. and internationally. His teaching, research and attending conferences were always at the forefront of his life.
Hussein is survived by his wife Marcia; mother Sahjouna Zbib; two brothers Ali & Bilal Zbib; three sisters Fadia, Hana and Iman Zbib; and his many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his father Mustapha Zbib; brother Hassan Zbib and two sisters Ferial and Sanaa Zbib. Kimball Funeral Home of Pullman has been entrusted with arrangements. Memorial donations are suggested to the Excellence Fund of the School of Mechanical & Materials Engineering at Washington State University (mme.wsu.edu/giving/). Online condolences may be sent to www.kimballfh.com.
