Anani Wins SME Career Boost Grant

MGE associate professor Angelina Anani may be new to the University of Arizona, but she's making a significant impression. The Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration selected Anani for its 2022 Freeport-McMoRan Inc. Academic Career Development Grant. Anani will be awarded $300,000 over three years to support activities such as research, publication and professional service.

“It gives me confidence that I have the potential to succeed,” said Anani, who was an assistant professor at Pontifical Catholic University of Chile for four years before joining the Department of Mining and Geological Engineering in January 2022. “I will work toward that and do the best I can.”

Anani’s research focuses on mine planning and operations to help industry optimize decisions and minimize risks. For example, she is using virtual reality to identify technologies for zero-entry mining, in which no humans work at the actual mine, reducing risks for workers.

“We’re not there yet, but we can get there as an industry,” she said.

Anani is the third university faculty member to receive the award since the program began in 2015. Isabel Barton was selected in 2021, and former associate professor Jaeheon Lee won the grant in 2018.