Our Experts

A dedicated experts and staff run the day-to-day operations of the Institute, and manage its research outputs, training, and public engagement activities. For media or interview inquiries with the Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian or any other of the Payne Institute leadership, please contact Greg Clough at (303)384-2218 or gclough@mines.edu.

Morgan Bazilian

Director, Payne Institute
Professor of Public Policy
Engineering Hall 111
303-384-2156
mbazilian@mines.edu

Gregory Clough

Deputy Director, Payne Institute
Engineering Hall 123
303-384-2218
gclough@mines.edu

LESLIE FAIGEN

Payne Institute Events Convener
1600 Jackson Street, Suite 370A
lafaigen@mines.edu

 

 

 

CLARKSON KAMURAI

Payne Institute Critical Minerals Program Manager
and Research Associate
1600 Jackson Street, Suite 370
clarkson_kamurai@mines.edu

 

 

 

ANNA AHLSTROM LITTLEFIELD

Payne Institute Low Carbon Energy
Technologies Program Manager
and Research Associate
1600 Jackson Street, Suite 370 E
303-384-2742
annalittlefield@mines.edu

 

 

 

Aaron Malone

Payne Institute Research Associate
Research Assistant Professor, Mining Engineering
Brown Hall, BB210
amalone@mines.edu

 

 

 

Victoria Patti

Operations & Engagement Coordinator
1600 Jackson Street, Suite 370 A
303-384-2721
victoria.patti@mines.edu 

Juliana Reid

Communications, Events, and Operations Manager
1600 Jackson Street, Suite 370 B
303-384-2730
jreid@mines.edu

 

 

 

EARTH OBSERVATION GROUP

Christopher Elvidge

Senior Research Associate
Director of Earth Observation Group
1600 Jackson Street, Suite 370 J
303-384-2731
celvidge@mines.edu

Namrata Chatterjee

Payne Institute Research Associate
Earth Observation Group
1600 Jackson Street, Suite 370 H
namratachatterjee@mines.edu

Tilottama (Tilo) Ghosh

Payne Institute Research Associate
Earth Observation Group
1600 Jackson Street, Suite 370 H
303-384-2735
tghosh@mines.edu

Gregory Gleason

Payne Institute System Administrator
and Research Associate
Earth Observation Group
1600 Jackson Street, Suite 370G
303-384-2733
gregory.gleason@mines.edu

Feng Chi (David) Hsu

Payne Institute Research Associate
Earth Observation Group
fengchihsu@mines.edu

Mikhail (Misha) Zhizhin

Payne Institute Research Associate
Earth Observation Group
1600 Jackson Street, Suite 370 I
303-384-2736
mzhizhin@mines.edu

RESEARCH SCIENTISTS

Kiran Damodaran

Research Scientist
kiran.damodaran@mines.edu

Philip Waggoner

Senior Research Scientist
philip.waggoner@mines.edu

 

Kellis Ward

Research Scientist
kellisward@mines.edu

 

AFFILIATED PARTNERS

Macdonald Amoah

Communications Associate
mamoah@mines.edu 

Brad Handler

Researcher and Program Director,
Energy Finance Lab
bhandler@mines.edu 

Simon Lomax

Director,
Accelerated Methane Reduction Initiative
slomax@mines.edu 

 

 

 

Richard Luarkie

Director, Native American
Mining and Energy Sovereignty Initiative
richard.luarkie@mines.edu

 

 

 

Norma Mozeé

Senior Advisor, Critical Minerals and Energy
norma.mozee@mines.edu

 

 

Alicia Polo y La Borda Cavero

Senior Advisor
aliciapoloylabordac@mines.edu

 

 

 

Rick Tallman

Program Manager, Native American
Mining and Energy Sovereignty Initiative
richard.tallman@mines.edu

 

 

 

Greg Wischer

Communications Associate
gregory.wischer@deigratiaminerals.com

 

Student researchers

Kemalcan Aydogdu

PhD, Mining Engineering

Vandan Bhalala

MS, Petroleum Engineering

Gabriel Collins 

MS, Mineral and Energy Economics

Reese Eppers

MS, Mineral and Energy Economics

Angelina Etterman

BS, Geological Engineering

Tobin Ford

BS, Metal & Materials Eng. 

Isabel Guajardo

MS, Mineral and Energy Economics

Siddhant Kulkarni​

MS, Mineral & Energy Economics

Liam O’Byrne

BS, Computer Science

 

 

Brooke Olsson

MS, Computational and Applied Math

 

 

Nicolas Landry

BS, Computer Science

 

 

Mark McCurdy

MS, Mineral and Energy Economics

 

 

Mirali Seyedrezaei

Ph.D Candidate, Mineral and Energy Economics Program

Evie Webb

BS, Engineering Physics

Anne Welch

MS, Mineral and Energy Economics