Team
MINING GEOLOGY RESEARCH GROUP
Available Positions
Please contact Dr. Holley directly to inquire about available positions
Current Students
Erica Thompson
MS Student in Geology
erica_thompson@mines.edu
Thesis: "Ore controlling breccias at Arturo, North Carlin, Nevada"
Isabelle Harris
PhD Candidate in Geology
iharris@mines.edu
Thesis: "Critical mineral recovery from Alaskan placer mine wastes"
John Meyer
PhD Candidate in Mining Engineering
johmeyer@mines.edu
Thesis: "Fusion of LiDAR and Hyperspectral Data in Mineral Exploration"
Koray Tasbicen
PhD Student in Geology
tasbicen@mines.edu
Thesis: "Geology of the Leeville Complex, Nevada"
Leticia González Castellote
MS Student in Geology
leticia_gonzalezcastellote@mines.edu
Thesis: "Porphyry-epithermal transitions in the Vicuña district, Argentina"
Molly Morgan
Ph.D. Student, Geology
mcmorgan@mines.edu
Thesis: "Critical mineral recovery from acid mine drainage"
Will Gapasin
MS Student in Geology
william_gapasin@mines.edu
Thesis: "Linking origins of the sedimentary-hosted and magmatic-hydrothermal gold, Battle Mountain District, Nevada"
Past Students
Alejandro Delgado
PhD Earth Resources Science and Engineering, 2023
Thesis: "Sustainable Livelihoods Framework for Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining"
Anne Fulton
Professional Master in Mineral Exploration, 2022
Thesis: "The Origins of Sedimentary-Rock Hosted Gold Deposits, Nevada"
Ben Teschner
PhD in Mining Engineering, 2020
Thesis: "Modeling of Social Risk in Mining Projects"
Carlos Contreras
PhD in Mining Engineering, 2020
Thesis: "Effect of the Representation of Grain Structure on the Prediction of Brittle Rock Mechanical Behavior using a Bonded-Block Model"
Dante Huff
PhD in Geology, 2021
Thesis: "Thermochronology of the Northern Battle Mountain District, Nevada"
Felipe Rodriguez
PhD in Geology, 2023
Thesis: "Coexistence Models for Artisanal and Large-Scale Mining, Latin America"
Johana Pedraza
MS in Economic Geology, 2017
Thesis: "Geologic Controls on Alteration and Mineralization at the Wharf Mine, South Dakota"
Justin Lowe
MS in Economic Geology, 2019
Thesis: "The Lone Tree Sedimentary Rock-Hosted Gold Deposit: A Key to Understanding Temporally-Linked Gold Deposits Across Northern Nevada"
Lauren Foiles
MS in Economic Geology, 2018
Thesis: "R-Mode Factor Analysis of Stream Sediment Data in the Fairbanks Mining District, East-Central Alaska"
Lukas Fahle
PhD in Mining Engineering, 2023
Thesis: "Dynamic LiDAR Mapping of Underground Mines"
Marion Nicco
PhD in Mining Engineering, 2020
Thesis: "The Contribution of Bound Water in Microwave-Induced Rock Fracturing"
Matt Fithian
MS in Economic Geology, 2015
Thesis: "Geology, Geochemistry and Geochronology of the Marigold Mine, Battle Mountain-Eureka Trend, Nevada"
Meriel Young
MS in Geological Engineering, 2018
Thesis: "Factors Predictive of Roof Instability in Addition to the Existing CMRR Criteria at Two Case Study Coal Mines"
Yu Ting Yu
MS in Mining Engineering, 2016
Thesis: "Sequestration of Acid Generating Mill Concentrates, Cripple Creek, Colorado"
Past Postdoctoral Fellows
Jorge Crespo
Postdoctoral fellow, 2019 to 2023
Thesis: "Predictive Geology and Geometallurgy, Arequipa, Peru"
Nina Zaronikola
Postdoctoral fellow in Geochemistry, 2022-2023
Thesis: "Responsible Critical Minerals"
Joseph Trouba
Postdoctoral fellow in Metallurgy, 2022-2023
Thesis: “Responsible Critical Minerals”
Jennifer Thompson
Postdoctoral fellow, 2021
Thesis: "Geochemistry of Peruvian and U.S. ore deposits"
Past Non-Thesis Students
Chelsea Pomeroy
Professional Master in Mineral Exploration, 2016
Jacob Smith
Professional Master in Mineral Exploration, 2016
Benjamin Webb
Professional Master in Mineral Exploration, 2015
Bridgette Miller
Professional Master in Mineral Exploration, 2015
Dennis Alp
Professional Master in Mineral Exploration, 2015
Maxwell Hain
Professional Master in Mineral Exploration, 2014
Steffen Ball
Professional Master in Mineral Exploration, 2014
Johanna Cervera Acosta
Professional Master in Mineral Exploration, 2014
Ambyr Douglass
Professional Master in Mineral Exploration, 2014
Tsolomon Gonchig
Professional Master in Mineral Exploration, 2014
Nathan Loesch
Professional Master in Mineral Exploration, 2014
Brandon Meehl
Professional Master in Mineral Exploration, 2014
John Meyer
Professional Master in Mineral Exploration, 2014
David Peake
Professional Master in Mineral Exploration, 2014
Edy Vasquez
Professional Master in Mineral Exploration, 2014
Pamela Lagrava Zamorano
Professional Master in Mineral Exploration, 2013
Jamison Ricks
Professional Master in Mineral Exploration, 2013
Mark Mikos
Professional Master in Mineral Exploration, 2013
Yu Kawakami
Professional Master in Mineral Exploration, 2013
John Bristow
Professional Master in Mineral Exploration, 2013
Enrique Chait-Molina
Professional Master in Mineral Exploration, 2012