Research Leadership

Michael Kaufman, PhD

Dr. Michael Kaufman recently stepped into the role of Interim Vice President of Research at the Colorado School of Mines. Prior to taking this position, he served in various capacities at Mines starting in 2007 when he joined the Metallurgical and Materials Engineering as Professor and Director of the Electron Microscopy Laboratory. From 2010 to 2014, he served as the department head of MME before becoming the Dean of the College of Applied Science and Engineering where he served from 2014-2018. Upon a reorganization in Academic Affairs, he became the Dean of Energy and Materials Programs and Vice Provost for Graduate and Research Initiatives where he served from 2018-2021. In 2021, he joined the Office of Research as the Director of Materials and Energy Initiatives. 

Prior to his time at Mines, Dr. Kaufman served on the faculty at the University of North Texas, the University of Florida, and the University of Washington and as a staff member at the National Institute of Science and Technology. His research focus has been in using advanced characterization techniques to study materials with a focus on alloys for structural applications. He is the founding director of the Center for Advanced Non-Ferrous Structural Alloys (CANFSA), which is an NSF Industry/University Cooperative Research Center (I/UCRC), that started in 2011 and is now a Phase III I/UCRC. He has served as advisor or co-advisor of over 65 graduate students and has published over 160 papers in archival journals.

More information about Dr. Kaufman

Lisa Kinzel

Lisa has been with Colorado School of Mines and the Office of Research since 2006. As director of research development, she creates and implements strategies that help increase institutional competitiveness and raise awareness of our research strengths. She also develops strategies that support our faculty, providing them with funding opportunities and facilitating research events that promote collaboration and foster team connections.

In her role in the Office of Industry Relations Lisa works directly with the Colorado School of Mines Foundation as a liaison to initiate and nurture relationships between faculty and industry partners.

Alyssa Von Lehman Lopez

Alyssa supports proposal development for the Mines research community. In this role, she provides proposal project management and writing support, analyzes and communicates funding opportunities, arranges professional learning for faculty, and manages the internal competition process. Prior to joining the Office of Research team at Mines in 2022, Alyssa worked for nearly a decade as a grants officer at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, and in the office of sponsored research and programs at Metropolitan State University of Denver prior to that. She received an MA in English and Communication Development from Colorado State University and a BA in English from Western Washington University.

Jenny Crawford

As the Research Grant Developer for the Office of Research, Jenny draws from a background in social science research and writing, the arts, and education to support faculty in the pursuit of research development excellence. Her diverse experiences brings a creative and inclusive perspective to proposal support, reflecting a commitment to fostering academia advancement through continuous learning.

She earned her Ed.D. at the University of Denver, with a research focus in critical arts-based methods. She hopes to make an important contribution to the research field using an innovative methodological approach that leverages the strength of the arts, education, activism, and research methods. Before joining the Office of Research, Jenny was the Associate Director of Communications for Mines Entrepreneurship and Innovation. She also holds an MA in Art & Design and an MA in Education Leadership & Policy Studies from the University of Northern Colorado.

Erin McCaffrey

As a member of the Research Integrity and Security (RIS) team, Erin supports a number of programs across several critical areas. These include organizing and implementing training for Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research, planning and facilitating activities of the Human Subjects Review committee, screening for export controls and undue foreign influence, supporting international travel by Mines personnel in reviewing destinations and technology plans, creating and managing content for the RIS website, and advising faculty, staff, and students.

Prior to joining the Office of Research team at Mines in 2023, Erin was the Dean of the Library at Regis University and an academic librarian supporting digital initiatives and user experience, assessment, and research needs of students and faculty. Erin received an MLIS from Dominican University and a BA in Psychology from DePaul University.

Heather Hobson

Heather joined the Research Integrity and Security (RIS) team at Colorado School of Mines in 2024. Her work focuses on the security of sensitive research projects and ensuring cybersecurity accreditations for the school. She also advises on undue foreign influence and export controls. As a retired FBI Special Agent, Heather brings over 25 years of experience working criminal and national security matters to this role at Mines.

She earned a BA in Political Science from Iowa State University, MS in Strategic Intelligence from the National Intelligence University, and MS in Information Security from Regis University.

Andrew Lattanner

Andrew leads efforts to advance awareness of the university’s world-leading research and supports productive relationships with the U.S. government and federal agencies. Prior to joining Mines, Andrew served as the Director of the Oregon Manufacturing Innovation Training Center, an innovative, industry-driven workforce training initiative. In addition, Andrew served in senior leadership positions for a U.S. Senator and several U.S. Representatives in Washington, D.C.

He is a graduate of Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship & Public Affairs, where he earned a Masters of Public Administration. He completed his undergraduate work at the University of Mount Union. Andrew enjoys hiking and cycling and lives in Lakewood, Colorado, with his wife and daughter.

David Diercks

Dr. Diercks is Director of the Shared Instrumentation Facility, a Research Associate Professor in the George S. Ansell Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Department at the Colorado School of Mines, and holds an affiliate research appointment at the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Prior to Mines, Diercks was Manager of the Center for Advanced Research and Technology at the University of North Texas (UNT). He earned his Ph.D in Materials Science and Engineering from UNT, an MS in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign (UIUC), and a BS in Ceramic Engineering from UIUC.

His research interests involve using correlated micro- and nano-scale materials characterization techniques for the determination of composition and structure and relating those to performance. This includes work on photovoltaics, ceramic fuel cell and battery materials, nanowires, nanoparticles, and metal alloys.

In 2018, he was awarded an NSF MRI grant for the acquisition of a Raman imaging – Scanning Electron Microscope / Focused Ion Beam Instrument. He has more than 100 archival publications, has 2 issued patents, and has given over 10 invited talks.

Publications:
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Morgan Bazilian

Morgan D. Bazilian is Director of the Payne Institute and Professor of Public Policy at the Colorado School of Mines.

Previously, he was Lead Energy Specialist at the World Bank. He has over two decades of experience in energy, natural resources, and environmental policy and international affairs. He holds a Ph.D. in energy analysis and was a Fulbright Fellow.

He is a Member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and Ireland’s National Climate Council. He is a Global Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center, and an adjunct professor of thermal physics at University College Cork.

He has published over 180 papers in learned journals, and his 2008 book: “Analytical Methods for Energy Diversity and Security” is a seminal work in the field. His work has appeared in Nature, Science, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, WSJ, Washington Post, New York Times, FT, and Foreign Affairs.

Dr. Bazilian was a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Advisory Council on Energy, and served as an advisor to the International Energy’s World Energy Outlook, for many years, as well as Bloomberg New Energy Finance’s Global Energy Outlook.

He holds (or has held) academic affiliations at The Royal Institute of Technology of Sweden, Columbia University, Cambridge University, Oxford University, and IIASA.

Dr. Bazilian was the European Union’s lead negotiator on technology issues at the UN’s climate change negotiations, and a member of the UN Expert Group on Technology. He was the first Chair of the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership Programme Board, and a founder of the UNEP Public Finance Alliance steering group. He was a contributing author to the IPCC and the Global Energy Assessment, and served as an advisor to a €200M cleantech venture capital fund.

Previously he was a Deputy Director at NREL. Prior to that, Morgan worked as a senior diplomat in the UN. Prior to this post, he worked in the Irish Government as Chief Advisor for the Energy Minister, and was the Deputy CEO of the Irish National Energy Agency.