“Rare Earth Element-Based Magnets: Science, Supply and Sustainability in the 21st Century

Aerospace and Electronic Systems Society

Speaker: Prof. Vincent G. Harris, Northeastern University, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Department of Chemical Engineering.

Bio:  Prof. Vince Harris is University Distinguished Professor & W. L. Smith Chair Professor, in the Departments of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Chemical Engineering, at Northeastern University. His expertise in science and technology encompasses a wide range of advanced multifunctional materials and novel electronic components. He has made lasting contributions most notably in the field of magnetoceramics, RF device physics, and the commercialization of novel RF devices and systems. In 2025, Harris was ranked by scholargps as the #1 global scholar of more than 28,000 scientists active in research in magnetoceramics since 1970. His achievements in scholarship have led to his elevation to Fellow of multiple professional societies such as the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), American Physical Society (APS), Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), National Academy of Inventors (NAI), and Artificial Intelligence Industrial Alliance (AIIA), among other societies of distinction.

During his professional career Prof. Harris has assumed a multiplicity of roles including engineer & physicist; innovator & inventor; defense scientist & NRL branch chief; mentor & educator; entrepreneur & CEO; policy expert & analyst, and most recently, Director of the Kostas Research Institute.

In areas of policy, he has served as a Fulbright Scholar, Jefferson Science Fellow (JSF) at the U.S. State Department where he continues to serve, and as a Foreign Expert Fellow of the Chinese State Administration of Foreign Expert Affairs. In his role as JSF at State, he served on State’s China Network and managed a portfolio that included critical materials and supply chain dynamics as well as investigating the role of China’s Belt and Road Initiative and its impact upon international commerce and geopolitical stability. In this capacity, he served on President Biden’s National Security Council and advised Secretary Blinken on matters of China’s long-term influence upon climate change, critical materials supply, and U.S. national security.

Rare earth elements (REEs) and their supply chain have become topics of great interest to the U.S. diplomatic and national security communities. Presently, China dominates REE markets in all facets of processing from earth extraction to metals as well as value and commercialization verticals. Beijing has shown no hesitancy in using its position of market dominance to advance its broader political goals and agendas.

In this presentation, we focus on REE-based magnets and associated challenges faced in 2025. We explore REE science and applications, supply and policy, and sustainability and environmental impact. We examine what the future holds in terms of alternative sources, recycling, and the practice of designing components around REEs.

Finally, we report on what steps can be taken by the global community to offset China’s monopoly on rare earths.

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