Summary
Prof. Javad Sattarvand retired from the Department of Mining and Metallurgical Engineering (MME) at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) in 2025, concluding his 25 years of academic appointments. He joined UNR as an Assistant Professor in 2015, bringing 15 years of prior academic and industrial experience, and ultimately served as Professor and Chair of the Department of Mining and Metallurgical Engineering.
Prof. Sattarvand earned his Ph.D. in Mining Engineering from RWTH Aachen University in Germany in 2009. His areas of expertise include mining automation, mine planning, operational optimization, and mining economics. During his academic career, he supervised more than 15 graduate students at UNR and an additional 35 students at other institutions. He authored or co-authored more than 130 journal and conference publications and secured millions of dollars in federal research funding for the Mackay School of Earth Sciences and Engineering.
In recognition of his research and professional accomplishments, Prof. Sattarvand received the Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration (SME) Career Development Grant, valued at $300,000, in 2018. His leadership and scholarly contributions supported the growth and development of the Department of Mining and Metallurgical Engineering, particularly in student enrollment, research funding, and academic and scholarly output.
Following his retirement from UNR, Prof. Sattarvand entered federal service. Since January 2025, he has been serving as Associate Director for Mining at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), where he continues to contribute his expertise and leadership to the US mining industry and the advancement of occupational safety and health.