Three named to distinguished professorships

Kashy Aminian, Brijes Mishra and Yi Luo have been named to distinguished professorships.

Three professors with the Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources at West Virginia University have been named to distinguished professorships, effective July 1.

Kashy Aminian has been named the Charles T. Holland Professor of Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering. The award was created in honor of the former dean of WVU’s School of Mines, who served from 1961-1970. Holland was also an alumnus of WVU, having graduated with a bachelor’s and master’s degree in mining engineering in 1928 and 1932, respectively.

Brijes Mishra has been named the Syd and Felicia Peng Professor of Mining Engineering. For more than 40 years, the Pengs have been important contributors to the educational futures of countless mining engineering students at WVU. The award, created in 2014, is available to specialists in the areas of ground control and mineral processing.

Yi Luo has been named the Charles E. Lawall Chair for Energy and the Environment. The award, which was created through a gift by Consolidation Coal Company and Glenna R. Pack, honors the former Department chair, who went on to become president of WVU, serving until 1945.

“We are delighted to appoint these three faculty members to these prestigious professorships,” said Gene Cilento, Glen H. Hiner Dean of the College. ““We look forward to them making significant contributions to developing technology that will continue to advance the utilization of natural gas and coal for energy and other vital material and strategic needs important to the state and nation. This is important to the College’s strategic initiative to support much-needed economic development in the state.”

Aminian started his career as a reservoir engineer for Michigan Consolidated Gas Company. He joined the faculty at WVU in 1983 after earning his doctorate in chemical engineering from the University of Michigan. His research activities and interest include unconventional natural gas resource development, reservoir characterization and coalbed methane. Aminian serves as coordinator and treasurer for the North American Coalbed Methane Forum.

After earning his doctorate in mining engineering from WVU in 2007, Mishra worked as a geomechanical engineer for RE/SPEC, a geotechnical consulting firm in South Dakota. After a stint on the faculty at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, he returned to WVU and joined the faculty in 2009. He has conducted extensive research in the areas of ground control and rock mechanics.

Also an alumnus of WVU, Luo has conducted research in the areas of mine ventilation and subsidence. The co-winner of R&D 100 Awards in 2004, 2005 and 2006 for mine ventilation research, Luo developed CISPM, a computer program package for predicting surface subsidence induced by underground mining operations.

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