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About Mines

Colorado School of Mines is a public R1 research university focused on applied science and engineering, producing the talent, knowledge and solutions to serve industry and benefit society – all to create a more prosperous future.
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Academics

For more than 150 years, Mines has engineered a world of possibilities through world-class academics and hands-on learning that help you build real skills and set you up for career success.
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Research

As an R1 research university, Mines brings faculty, students and global partners together to engineer solutions that address the world's biggest scientific challenges and shape the future on Earth and beyond.
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From orientation to graduation, the Mines student experience is built on connection, challenge and support, helping you feel at home, find your people and thrive personally and academically.
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At Mines, we work together to make sure a premier engineering education is within reach through personalized support and resources to help you join the Oredigger family and achieve all your academic dreams.
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Faculty Directory

Aaron Malone

Research Assistant Professor

Contact Information

amalone@mines.edu

Brown Hall 210

Minerals and Subsurface Energy

Biography

Aaron Malone completed his PhD in Geography from the University of Colorado-Boulder in 2019. He has a broad background in Human Geography, including training in qualitative and quantitative methods and participatory research. His interests include critical minerals and energy transition, rural development and economic change, migration and mobility, and public policy, with a focus on Latin America and the US.

Publications

Deberdt, R., A. Malone, N.M. Smith. 2024. Reprocessing and remining as grey extractivism: The example of cobalt from the Southeast Missouri Lead Belt. Globalizations. DOI: 10.1080/14747731.2024.2441632

Malone, A., R. Deberdt, N.M. Smith, E. Holley. 2024. Could Justice40 reproduce injustices in the critical mineral sector? Environmental Science & Policy, 161: 103894. DOI: 10.1016/j.envsci. 2024.103894

Malone, A., N.M. Smith, E. Holley, T. Htun. 2023. Prospects for American Cobalt: Reactions to mine proposals in Minnesota and Idaho. Energy Research & Social Science, 105:103284. DOI: 10.1016/j.erss.2023.103284

Malone, A., et al. 2023. Transitional dynamics from mercury to cyanide-based processing in artisanal and small-scale gold mining: Social, economic, geochemical, and environmental considerations. Science of the Total Environment, 898:165492. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023. 165492

Malone, A., N.M. Smith, E. Zeballos Zeballos. 2021. Coexistence and conflict between artisanal mining, fishing, and farming in a Peruvian boomtown. Geoforum, 120: 142-154. DOI: 10.1016/j.geoforum.2021.01.012

Additional Information

Research Pillars

Earth | Energy | Environment | Foundations

Research Focus Areas

Clean & Sustainable Water Systems | Critical Materials & Supply Chains | Economic Feasibility & Social Acceptance | Energy in Global Context | Engineering Global Sustainability | International Relations & Global Studies | Intersections of Science Policy & Governance

Research Keywords

Community Development | Community-Based Research | Conflict & Resource Management | Critical Materials / Minerals / Metals | Cross-Cultural Collaboration | Energy & Society | Energy Transition | Environmental Justice | Environmental Policy | International Development | Policy Analysis | Resource & Sustainability Policy | Social Accountability & Acceptance | Sociotechnical Integration | Sustainable Resource Management