You Are in Good Hands
The Mining Engineering Department faculty at the University of Utah are committed to preparing students for productive, life-long careers in mining and related industries or disciplines.
MICHAEL FREE
Department Chair
Dr. Free's research interests include extraction and purification of metals, corrosion, and materials synthesis. His research group is working on extracting and recovering rare earth elements from coal waste with assistance from bacteria, innovative extraction of copper from ore, extracting and recovering copper and precious metals from electronic waste, and developing and evaluating high entropy alloys.
Dr. Free's offices are located in WBB room 313 and 417. You can reach him by phone at 801-581-3893 and 801-585-9798 or by emailing him at michael.free@utah.edu
Learn more about Dr. Free by clicking on the link below.
RAJIVE GANGULI
Malcolm McKinnon Endowed Professor
Dr. Ganguli has been working on artificial intelligence applications for the mining industry for the last two decades. Click here to view the ai.sys group website. He is also very interested in addressing the interdisciplinary grand challenges of the mining industry.
Dr. Ganguli's office is located in WBB room 302. You can reach him by phone at 801-585-0958 or by emailing him at rajive.ganguli@utah.edu
Learn more about Dr Ganguli by clicking on the link below.
JEFF JOHNSON
Associate Professor
Dr. Johnson works on the development of an instrumented device that measures a change of stress and strain in a rock mass. The device is similar to rock bolts that are typically used in underground construction to help support the excavation. The similarities allow the device to be inserted into a rock mass using normal construction equipment. The measurements from the device are used to calibrate computer models that are used in mine design.
Dr. Johnson's office is located in WBB room 316. You can reach him by phone at 801-585-1553 or by emailing him at jeffrecraigjohnson@icloud.com
CHARLES KOCSIS
Professor
Dr. Kocsis has over 24 years of experience in the mining industry, including work for consulting firms and a large research organization. He also has nine years of academic experience as a faculty member in the Mining and Metallurgical Engineering Department at the University of Nevada, Reno, where he conducted projects funded by NIOSH, The Alpha Foundation, Newmont Gold Corporation, and Freeport McMoRan.
Dr. Kocsis' office is located in WBB room 313. You can reach him by phone at 801-585-5176 or by emailing him at charles.kocsis@utah.edu
Learn more about Dr. Kocsis by clicking on the link.
MICHAEL NELSON
Professor
Dr. Nelson’s current research is examining the effectiveness of safety and health managements systems, with particular focus on the leadership, communication, culture, and climate. In the past four years, he and his students have made 18 visits to U.S. mines to study these systems. He is also working to develop methods and materials for use in teaching mining engineering students about effective management.
Dr. Nelson's office is located in WBB room 316. You can reach him by phone at 801-585-3064 or by emailing him at mike.nelson@utah.edu
Learn more about Dr. Nelson by clicking on the link.
PRATT ROGERS
Assistant Professor
Dr. Rogers' research interests concentrate on the reliability of socio-technical systems deployed in mining organizations and applications of big data analysis. Better management of the socio-technical bottlenecks will allow companies to operationalize technology more successfully, improve data utilization, and operate more efficiently.
Dr. Pratt's office is located in WBB room 303. You can reach him by phone at 801-585-3360 or by emailing him at pratt.rogers@utah.edu
Learn more about Dr. Rogers by clicking on the link.
JESSICA WEMPEN
Assistant Professor
Dr. Wempen is interested in research applying advanced remote sensing technologies, including satellite imaging and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) technology, for mine ground control, mineral exploration, and environmental monitoring. She is also interested in innovative seismic monitoring and analysis to improve mine ground control safety.
Dr. Wempen's office is located in WBB room 317. You can reach her by phone at 801-585-3029 or by emailing her at j.wempen@utah.edu
Learn more about Dr. Wempen by clicking on the link.
Adjunct
| Name | Title |
| SAKSHI ANDERSON | Adjunct Assistant Professor |
| LOUIE CONONELOS | Adjunct Associate Professor |
| EDUARDO ALEJANDRO CORDOVA | Adjunct Assistant Professor |
| FRANK DREWS | Adjunct Associate Professor |
| GREG GOLD | Adjunct Instructor |
| JEFF MCKENZIE | Adjunct Instructor |
| ERICH PETERSEN | Adjunct Professor |
| ERIK WESTMAN | Adjunct Professor |
| MARY ANN WRIGHT | Adjunct Associate Professor |
| ZAVIS ZAVODNI | Adjunct Professor |
Emeriti
FELIPE CALIZAYA
Professor Emeritus
KIM MCCARTER
Professor Emeritus
WILLIAM PARISEAU
Professor Emeritus