Current Positions and Roles

Dr. Priscilla Provost Nelson is a distinguished academic and professional in mining, geotechnical engineering, and underground construction. Since 2014, she has been a Professor and Department Head in the Department of Mining Engineering at the Colorado School of Mines. She is the founder of the Tailings Center (since 2020) and has been a Fellow at the Payne Institute for Public Policy since 2022.

Key Honours and Recognitions

Dr. Nelson has received numerous prestigious honours in recent years. In 2024, she was appointed the Muir Wood Lecturer for the International Tunnelling Association, and in 2022, she was named a “Geo-Legend” by the ASCE Geo-Institute. She was also appointed to the Organizing Committee of the 2023 International Geomechanics Symposium in Saudi Arabia and the Scientific Committee for the 2023 World Tunnelling Congress in Greece. She has received the Underground Construction Association Outstanding Educator Award, the Henry L. Michel Award for Industry Advancement of Research (ASCE), and she served as the Krumb lecturer (SME, 2019), and was identified as one of the “100 Inspirational Women in Mining” by Women in Mining (UK) in 2016.

Her leadership in mining and geotechnical fields was further recognized through keynote invitations, such as at the Paste 2025 conference in Namibia and the first Women in Mining Conference in Peru (2021). She was also appointed to the Independent Technical Review Board for Tailings Management at CBMM (Brazil), focusing on sustainable tailings practices.

Recent Research and Publications

Dr. Nelson’s research continues to shape the fields of tailings management, underground urban infrastructure, and sustainable mining practices. Her Muir Wood Lecture 2024 for the International Tunnelling Association, titled “Underground Resources for a Sustainable Global Future”, presents a critical vision of how underground spaces can be leveraged for global sustainability.

Her recent publications include works on byproduct recovery from active domestic mines and on reprocessing mine tailings to recover metals. She also co-authored a 2023 handbook chapter on mine tailings management, published by Elsevier in the Handbook of Recycling. Dr. Nelson has also contributed to industry discussions through various conference proceedings and commentary pieces. Her invited commentary, “Mining’s Workforce Crisis: Act Now to Secure the Future,” will be published in GeoStrata (ASCE) in April 2025.

Leadership in Technical and Policy Discussions

In addition to academic research, Dr. Nelson plays an active role in shaping mining policy and best practices. She is involved in DOE Workshops on Future Innovation Needs for Mining of Critical Minerals (2024) and she chaired a session on Innovations in Tailings Management at the SME 2023 Conference. Her Ernst & Young Americas Mining Forum panel discussion in 2021 addressed the future of mining workforce development. She has also contributed significantly to technical courses at Tailings conferences in Chile and Brazil, covering governance, hazard integration, tailings dewatering, and geotechnics.

She is a key advocate for the integration of sustainability into underground urban planning and mining, and she co-organized the NSF US-UK Workshop on Transformation in Urban Underground Infrastructure (2023).

Recent Conference and Industry Engagement

Dr. Nelson has been a key figure in organizing and leading technical discussions on rock mechanics, mining, and underground engineering. She has also played a leadership role in fostering international collaboration in tailings management and underground infrastructure development. Dr. Nelson continues to provide expert consulting for major underground and mining projects. She has served on the Independent Technical Review Boards for tailings management, and her expertise in mine waste management, tailings safety, and underground construction remains in high demand across the industry.

Conclusion

Dr. Priscilla Nelson’s recent work continues to push boundaries in tailings management, underground construction, mining education, and policy advocacy. Her leadership in academic, industry, and policy discussions on mining sustainability and underground infrastructure development is widely recognized. With major upcoming engagements, including the Paste 2025 keynote and new research on mineral recovery, she remains at the forefront of shaping the future of sustainable mining and underground engineering.