After several years working in industry, where he pioneered the use of microscopes to study the internal structure of steel, Sauveur joined Harvard University as a Instructor in Metallurgy, becoming Professor of Metallurgy in 1905. From 1924 to 1939, he held the Gordon McKay Professor of Mining and Metallurgy title at the university. From 1939 on, ASM International started bestowing the Albert Sauveur Achievement Award, for achievements in materials science and engineering.