Younes Shekarian received his Ph.D. in Energy and Mineral Engineering from Penn State, where he developed a chemical-less process for selective recovery of critical metals from acid mine drainage. He also holds an M.S. in Mineral Engineering from New Mexico Tech, and both M.S. and B.S. in Mining Engineering from Amirkabir University of Technology (Tehran Polytechnic). He is a recipient of the SME Ph.D. Fellowship Grant and the Penn State Alumni Association Dissertation Award. His postdoctoral research with Prof. Samantha McBride (University of Pennsylvania) and Dr. Elizabeth Kalies (The Nature Conservancy) will explore sustainable recovery of lithium and other critical elements from secondary resources.

Sam Willard received a B.S. in Plant and Microbial Biology from the University of Minnesota and a Ph.D. in Biogeochemistry from Imperial College London under the supervision of Dr. Bonnie Waring (a Penn alum). His postdoctoral research is aimed at understanding the chemical cycling of soil organic carbon under different grazing management techniques. Through a collaboration with The Nature Conservancy, this research will be applied to optimize soil carbon retention and sequestration across TNC North America’s managed grazelands. Sam is collaborating with Prof. Alain Plante (Penn), Dr. Stephen Wood and Dr. Clare Kazanski (both at The Nature Conservancy).