Institute for Critical and Strategic Minerals  Building the future of critical minerals 

Michael Free is a Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah. He has performed research and taught courses as a faculty member since 1996. His areas of expertise include corrosion, electrometallurgy, hydrometallurgy, and materials synthesis. He has been the principal investigator of more than 70 research projects funded by more than 20 companies, the Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Office of Naval Research, and the National Science Foundation with a total awarded value of $23.7 million. He has authored or co- authored 277 publications with 7400 citations, including a hydrometallurgy textbook. In 2025 he received the Milton E. Wadsworth Award in recognition of his research contributions. He is a member of the Utah Academy of Engineering and Science. He has been a paid consultant for 41 organizations. He has been the department chair for two departments. He has taught, mentored, and employed 95 researchers in his labs. He received a B.S. degree in metallurgical engineering, an M.S. degree in chemical engineering and a Ph.D. degree in metallurgical engineering from the University of Utah. He worked as a Post-Doctoral Associate at the University of Florida in the Departments of Materials Science and Engineering and Chemical Engineering for two years before becoming a faculty member at the University of Utah.

Erin Rothwell, PhD, is the Vice President for Research at the University of Utah and President of the University of Utah Research Foundation. Dr. Rothwell leads one of the nation’s top research enterprises and oversees 18 administrative units that support research development, compliance, safety, and innovation. She is also a Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in the School of Medicine and has an active NIH program of research. Born in Santa Ana, California, Dr. Rothwell began her academic path in recreation therapy, earning a BS and MS from the University of South Alabama, before moving to Utah in 2004 to pursue her PhD at the U. She completed postdoctoral training in clinical trials and public health in the College of Nursing and later a competitive fellowship in bioethics at the Medical College of Wisconsin

Her research focuses on the ethical, social, and legal implications of genetic and technological advancements, particularly in newborn screening, prenatal testing, and biobanking. She is principal investigator on multiple NIH- funded projects, including two R01s titled Comparing Game Facilitated Interactivity to Genetic Counseling for Prenatal Screening Education and Implementing a Novel Consent Process for Biospecimen Research after Newborn Screening in Hospitals Serving Diverse Patients. Dr. Rothwell was also the contact PI on Utah Center for Excellence in Ethical, Legal and Social Implication Research (UCEER).

Since joining the Office of the Vice President for Research in 2018, Dr. Rothwell has served as Associate Vice President for Research Integrity and Compliance and later as Associate Vice President for Research, overseeing critical offices that safeguard research integrity, advance grant support, and enhance research education. She has spearheaded new institutional policies on authorship and misconduct, expanded equitable access to clinical research participation, and modernized the university’s compliance and education infrastructure.

Today, Dr. Rothwell is advancing the Office of the VPR by strategically positioning the institution to address national security, global competitiveness and economic stability She continues to focus on cross-campus collaboration, strengthening Utah’s research climate, and building community partnerships that ensure research at the U addresses critical challenges in health, technology, and society.

To learn more about our current priorities, see the VPR Strategic Plan 2025–2030 At her core, she believes research is about people; scientists, students, patients, and communities - and that the most impactful discoveries happen when integrity, collaboration and vision come together.

The scope of this impact can be seen in our Research Facts & Figures Education

• BS, Recreation Therapy – University of South Alabama

• MS, Park & Recreation Management – University of South Alabama

• PhD, Recreation Therapy – University of Utah

• Fellowship, Bioethics – Medical College of Wisconsin

Anshuman Razdan (“AR”) is the Chief Research Officer for Planning and Partnerships at the University of Utah. He directs the research planning from within the Provost (EVP Academic Affairs) office and oversees the university’s partnerships with external partners, including industry, non-profits, other universities, agencies, and any synergies that drive research growth at U. Utah. He is committed to enhancing research excellence and strengthening the role of research, scholarship, and creative activity across the University. In the short time AR has led the creation of the Institute of Critical and Strategic Minerals as the foundational research focal point for the U and the state of Utah. He is a computer scientist with a distinguished record of interdisciplinary research in the areas of geometric design, computer graphics, document exploitation, and geospatial visualization and analysis. AR joined the University of Utah in December 2025.

Peter E. Trapa is vice provost and senior dean of the Colleges of Liberal Arts & Sciences. He joined the University of Utah in 2001 and has held a number of leadership roles, including Chair of the Department of Mathematics (2011-17), Chair of Physics & Astronomy (2018-19), and Dean of the College of Science (2019-2025). In this latter role, he merged with the College of Mines and Earth Sciences.

Trapa completed his BA in Mathematics and Integrated Science at Northwestern University, his PhD at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and held postdoctoral positions at Harvard University and the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, NJ. He was named Fellow of the American Mathematical Society in 2019.

Charles Musgrave is the Dean of the John and Marcia Price College of Engineering, as well as professor of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering. An expert in the computational modeling of materials and the intricacies of their surfaces, his research interests include photovoltaics, batteries, fuel cells, catalysis, photochemistry and quantum technologies.

Prior to joining the Price College of Engineering in 2024, Musgrave served as Associate Dean of Graduate Education of the College of Engineering and Applied Science and chair of the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder, with a joint appointment at the National Laboratory of the Rockies. He also served as a fellow of the Materials Science and Engineering Program and the Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute at the University of Colorado. Before his nearly 16 years in Colorado, Musgrave served on the faculty at Stanford University in the departments of chemical engineering and materials science and engineering, and as a visiting professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Harvard University. He was a collaborator with Intel Corporation, SC Solutions Corporation, Agilent and Xerox Corporation, among others.

Pearl Sandick is dean of the College of Science and professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Utah. She has previously served as associate chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy and associate dean for Faculty and Research in the College of Science. Dr. Sandick is a theoretical particle physicist studying physics beyond the Standard Model, including possible explanations for the dark matter in the Universe. She has been recognized for her teaching and mentoring work with a University of Utah Early Career Teaching Award, a University of Utah Distinguished Mentor Award, and the Linda K. Amos Award for Distinguished Service to Women. She has also been recognized as a University of Utah Presidential Scholar.