Montana Tech announced today the hiring of Ronald J. White, Ph.D., as the Director of the Center for Advanced Mineral and Metallurgical Processing (CAMP) and a professor in the new Materials Science Ph.D. program. CAMP is a designated Montana Tech center of excellence in research and education.
"This was a national—even international—search and we are delighted to have attracted someone of Ron's caliber and expertise to the new materials doctoral program and to provide the leadership for CAMP. His broad scientific background, along with his impressive track record in research administration, grantsmanship, and program development are extraordinary. We are looking forward to his arrival," explained Beverly Hartline, Ph.D., Vice Chancellor for Research at Montana Tech.
Dr. White comes to Montana Tech from the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology where he recently served as Vice President for Research. From 2003 to 2009 he was a Senior Fellow at Universities Space Research Association in Houston, Texas and served as the Senior Scientist for Policy and Processes for NASA's Human Research Program. Prior to that, he was the Associate Director of the National Space Biomedical Research Institute. From 1985 to 1996, Dr. White served as the Chief Scientist of the Life Sciences Division at NASA Headquarters. He has also held faculty positions in various fields at Baylor College of Medicine, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, and Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, MD. He has worked in industry at General Electric Company and Bell Labs. He has a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin and post-graduate training in physiology from the University of Mississippi Medical School. Dr. White has authored more than 65 scientific papers in theoretical chemistry and mathematical modeling of biological systems.
“This is an exciting time of growth and development at Montana Tech, and I am enthusiastic to be a part of Montana's new collaborative doctoral program in Materials Science--a field at the convergence of the disciplines of chemistry, physics, metallurgy, many fields of engineering, and the computational sciences. Montana Tech and CAMP have all of the components necessary to move into a leadership position in this field. I am looking forward to working with the faculty, students, and industrial and government partners to accelerate that move,” stated Dr. White.
Dr. White will begin his role at Montana Tech on June 23. CAMP is Montana Tech's center of research and education excellence associated with Montana's new Ph.D. program in Materials Science, making the combination appointment as a professor in the program and CAMP director very synergistic. CAMP's mission is to perform research, process development, characterization, and testing in extractive metallurgy, mineral processing, and advanced materials, providing high-quality solutions to government and industrial clients in the context of educating the next generation of material scientists and engineers and expanding the basic and applied knowledge base. CAMP's broad focus area is materials science and engineering, specifically aligned with and supporting Montana Tech's R&D specialties involved with the collaborative Montana Materials Science Ph.D. program. CAMP research is typically conducted in interdisciplinary teams that transcend department boundaries and include a project-appropriate mix of CAMP staff, faculty members, undergraduate and graduate students, collaborators and consultants. Montana Tech Vice Chancellor for Research, Beverly Hartline, Ph.D., has served as the interim director of CAMP since August 1, 2013.
For more information, please contact Amanda Badovinac, Director of Public Relations, at abadovinac@mtech.edu or 406-496-4828.