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At the University of Utah, we lead interdisciplinary research across the full lifecycle of critical minerals—from discovery to recycling—strengthening domestic supply chains and advancing energy, technology and national security.

What are critical minerals used for? 

Electic Vehicles
Cell Phones
Aerospace and defense 
Semiconductors
Advanced electronics
Renewable energy

Core Research Areas

  • This area focuses on identifying, characterizing, and quantifying critical and strategic mineral resources using advanced geological, geochemical, and geophysical methods. Research includes ore deposit formation, mineral mapping, exploration technologies, and resource modeling to support domestic mineral discovery and development. These efforts help secure reliable supplies of minerals essential for energy, defense, and advanced manufacturing technologies.

  • Responsible mining research develops methods to extract critical minerals efficiently while minimizing environmental disturbance, water use, energy consumption, and waste generation. It also includes resource stewardship strategies such as improved mine planning, tailings management, land reclamation, and sustainable operational practices. The goal is to ensure long-term resource availability while maintaining strong environmental and community standards.

  • Metallurgical processing focuses on the beneficiation, extraction, separation, and purification of critical minerals from ores, concentrates, and secondary resources. Research includes advanced flotation, hydrometallurgy, pyrometallurgy, electrochemical processing, and emerging automated and data-driven processing technologies. These efforts improve recovery efficiency, reduce processing costs, and strengthen domestic mineral refining capabilities.

  • This area examines the manufacturing, transportation, processing, and distribution networks required to move critical minerals from mines to end-use technologies. Research addresses supply chain resilience, domestic processing capacity, trade dependencies, and strategies to reduce vulnerabilities associated with foreign sourcing. The objective is to develop secure, diversified, and economically competitive critical minerals supply chains within the United States.

  • Research in this area evaluates the environmental, health, economic, and social implications of critical mineral development and use. Topics include water quality, emissions reduction, community engagement, environmental justice, workforce impacts, and long-term sustainability. These efforts help ensure that critical mineral development benefits society while minimizing negative environmental and social consequences.

  • This area addresses the regulatory, policy, and legal frameworks governing critical mineral exploration, mining, processing, transportation, and recycling. Research includes permitting efficiency, land access, environmental compliance, mineral rights, international trade policy, and national security considerations. The goal is to support policies that enable responsible domestic mineral development while maintaining strong legal and environmental protections.

  • Recycling and lifecycle analysis focuses on recovering critical minerals from end-of-life products, industrial waste streams, and legacy materials to support a circular economy. Research includes battery recycling, electronic waste recovery, process optimization, and lifecycle assessment of mineral production pathways. These efforts reduce dependence on primary mining, lower environmental impacts, and improve long-term resource sustainability.