Dr. Stewart Gillies, Union Pacific Rocky Mountain Energy Mining Professor at Missouri University of Science and Technology, has been named interim director of the university’s Rock Mechanics and Explosives Research Center. Gillies takes over for Dr. David A. Summers, Curators’ Professor of mining and nuclear engineering at Missouri S&T, who has served in the position for more than 30 years.

Summers will remain on the faculty and serve as a senior research investigator in Rock Mechanics, as well as director of the university’s waterjet laboratory.

Prior to his current position, Gillies was director of Gillies Wu Mining Technology Pty Ltd based in Brisbane, Aus. He has served as a mining consultant for variety of studies on operating sites including mine ventilation network surveys, planning and system review, expert witness support, heat stress investigations, mine fire simulation, ventilation system design, real-time dust and diesel particular matter monitoring, gas and dust explosibility and instrumentation development.

Gillies has also served on the mining engineering faculty at the Universities of New South Wales, Missouri and Queensland. He has been principal researcher on more than 25 industry-funded research grants on mine ventilation and mine economics issues.

Gillies earned Ph.D. and bachelor of engineering degrees in 1980 and 1974, respectively, from the University of New South Wales. He also earned a graduate certificate in tertiary education in 2001 from the University of Queensland.

Gillies has worked closely with international groups, including the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health in Pittsburgh, Pa., the Polish Academy of Sciences in Krakow, Poland, and the Australian Coal Association Research Program in Brisbane. He has authored or co-authored more than 200 technical publications, reviewed journals, conference proceedings and technical reports and has delivered more than 100 technical presentations to various academic, government and industry audiences and has led presentation of more than 40 short courses to industry participants.

Gillies’ current research projects include the utilization of booster fans in underground coal mines and fire simulation for training in self-escape in underground mines.