Is a Principal Research Officer, and former Manager of Advanced Material Removal Processes, Aerospace Manufacturing Technology Centre, National Research Council Canada (NRC). Before joining the NRC in 2002, he was a Principal Research Engineer at Ontario Hydro Research Division (1980-2002), and Manager of Fabrication Technology at Spar Aerospace Technology Ltd. (1979-80). He is an Adjunct Professor of Mechanical Engineering at McGill University since 2002, and Adjunct Professor, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden. He held also Adjunct Professorship with Concordia University (1981-1990) and McMaster University (1991-2002).

Helmi is professional engineer of Ontario since 1980. He is a Fellow of SME (Society of Manufacturing Engineers), Fellow of the College International pour la Recherche en Productique (CIRP), and Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). He is the recipient of ‘Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal’ (2013), and the prestigious ‘ASME Blackall Machine Tools and Gage Award, (1989). He received numerous recognitions from ASME and ASTM for being the principal organizer and editor of symposia related to manufacturing and tribology. Helmi is on the editorial board of a number of international journals and was an Associate Editor of the ASME Transactions, Journal of Engineering for Industry (Metal cutting), 1990-1996. Helmi Attia is recognized by his peers in the areas of machining, thermal deformation of machine tools and fretting wear/fatigue. To his credit, Helmi has authored/coauthored some 290 papers in archival journals and refereed conference proceedings, and some 125 technical research reports. He was also the principal editor of 6 ASME and ASTM books and bound volumes.