Aaron Noble appointed associate professor of mining and minerals engineering
Aaron Noble has been appointed associate professor in the Department of Mining and Minerals Engineering at Virginia Tech. He is one of 27 new faculty members hired by the Virginia Tech College of Engineering for the 2017-18 academic year.
“The mining and minerals engineering department at Virginia Tech has a rich tradition of scholarly activity, research commercialization, and instructional excellence,” Noble said. “I believe that my work will be a great fit here, and I look forward to maintaining and even building the department’s prestige and notoriety into the next generation.”
While serving as assistant professor of mining engineering at West Virginia University, Noble obtained more than $1.1 million in research grants and contracts and supported a research staff that included several graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, international exchange students, and undergraduate researchers.
Noble’s teaching and research focus in the general areas of mineral processing, techno-economic process analysis, and environmental pollution control. His specific interests include industrial waste recycling, critical material recovery, and off-earth mining systems development. In the past, he has received funding from the U.S. Department of Energy, NASA, and other private sources to support these endeavors.
In addition to his research, Noble will be teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in mineral processing, process simulation, and economic evaluation of mineral deposits at Virginia Tech. Noble also plans to support other non-academic student activities related to professional development and industrial networking. He emphasizes the value of undergraduate research, and many of his prior students have had success in various national and state competitions.
"I believe the mining faculty at Virginia Tech are among the best in the nation, and I consider it an honor to be a part of this group,” said Noble.
Noble currently serves as a Henry Krumb Lecturer for the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration. He is the recipient of the Rossiter W. Raymon Award and Stefanko Best Paper Award. In 2015, Noble was awarded an Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration Academic Career Development grant.
Noble received his bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in mining engineering from Virginia Tech.
Written by Angelo Biviano
