December 9, 2014 Cluster Hire (4 Positions) in Sustainable Mining, Metallurgy and Energy Engineering The Department of Earth and Environmental Engineering at Columbia University in the City of New York is recruiting for 4 critical positions, including 3 prestigious endowed chairs, with the anticipation that additional positions will be filled in subsequent years. Henry Krumb Chair in Mining Engineering: Dedicated to hiring the leader in mining engineering and mineral processing for the 21st century. Applications are encouraged from candidates with backgrounds and interests in frontier research and education in mining including but not limited to, novel pathways for the extraction of elements including rare earth and precious metals from minerals and waste streams, robotics for mining of both land and deep sea, processing of minerals and/or fuels, hydraulic fracturing, storage of solids and gases in geologic reservoirs (e.g., nuclear wastes and CO2), systems analysis of novel mining technologies, and other related fields. All environmental aspects of these research areas including optimization of mine water processing considering the full cycle of mine water will also be of interest. Henry Krumb Chair in Mining and Mineral Systems Engineering: Dedicated to hiring the leading thinker on the systems analysis of global material cycles and mineral processing. The successful candidate will be a leader in research and education on the current and future directions in material cycle research from a systems engineering perspective. The candidate’s research will focus on a modern, systems level, understanding of the sustainable economic, environmental and technological directions in materials extraction, re-processing and applications across different industries, thus identifying and guiding future uses, sources, and life cycles of materials. Research on the nexus of energy, water, and mineral extraction and processing systems in a geographical and environmental context is also of interest. Stanley Thompson Professor of Chemical Metallurgy: Dedicated to hiring the leader in the chemical extraction of mineral for metal production, processing and refining of metals, and the associated environmental impacts. The incumbent will advance scholarship in chemical metallurgy and research and education on all aspects of the mineral-to metal and metal cycles (and possible metal substitutes) including extraction of mineral for metal production, processing, and refining of metals, as well as the chemical aspects and environmental behavior of metals such as corrosion, oxidation, and other chemical interactions of metals and alloys with various media. Applications from candidates working on novel chemical metallurgical approaches involving conversion of metal reserves into metal resources and recycling of electronic wastes are also encouraged. Candidates are expected to have strong backgrounds and interests in fields that address frontier research and education in novel technologies for the sustainable production of metals from mineral reserves with minimal damage to the environment, or by preventing corrosion to the metals, thereby decreasing the environmental costs of the dust-to-dust life cycle. Position in Renewable Energy Systems (tenure-track or tenured faculty position at the assistant/associate professor level): Dedicated to hiring an emerging leader in systems analysis and operation of large scale renewable energy systems. Applications are invited for a tenure-track or tenured faculty position at the assistant/associate professor level. The ideal candidate will combine strong technical knowledge in one or more area(s) of renewable energy production and system operation with a holistic, approach to the integration of renewable into conventional energy systems. The integration may include the use of novel energy storage mechanisms, smart grid management aspects, systems optimization and control, and technological innovation while addressing overall energy system resilience and risks of cascading failure. The candidate will lead research and educational collaborations with academic departments and units across Columbia University, especially the Earth Institute through the Lenfest Center for Sustainable Energy. About the Department of Earth and Environmental Engineering The Department of Earth & Environmental Engineering takes an Earth Systems Engineering approach to Sustainable Development. It addresses the challenge of efficiently and economically providing the resources, infrastructure systems and consumptive goods for the well-being of a growing population of our planet, while preserving the environment and intergenerational equity. We focus on the development of primary resources, such as minerals, energy, water, clean air, and land, the management of material cycles (e.g., Metals, Carbon, Nitrogen, Phosphorous, Silicon), the management of water, and energy cycles through the transformation of raw materials to end uses, and the optimization of water, energy, transportation and food production sustainable infrastructures. We pay equal attention to the recovery of materials and resources from end of use products. Our work considers risks related to human-induced and natural hazards, pollution, infrastructure failure, and their mitigation through technical and financial instruments. Within the systems framework, our research spans many scales, from nanotechnology to planetary engineering. We seek solutions through innovations in extraction and processing technologies, bio- and geochemistry, novel Earth engineering strategies, and industrial ecology. More specific examples of research by members of the department include emerging sustainable energy technologies, carbon sequestration, mineral and energy recovery from solid and aqueous waste streams, hydroclimatic hazard prediction and impact mitigation, water quality and contaminant transport, the application of remote sensing tools to system identification, application of heterogeneous catalysts for energy production and air pollution control, and the resilience and robust optimization of infrastructure systems operation. Inter- sectoral linkages, multi-scale analyses, and the application of innovations in emerging soft and hard technologies to earth systems mark our transdisciplinary approach to a “better planet by design”. Applicants must have a demonstrated record of outstanding research accomplishments, excellent teaching credentials and established leadership in the field. The successful candidate should contribute to the advancement of the department in these areas by developing an externally funded research program and contributing to the undergraduate and graduate educational mission of the Department. He/she is expected to establish multidisciplinary research and educational collaborations with academic departments and units across Columbia University.