Anderson Named Interim Vice President for Research at South Dakota Mines

Laurie Anderson, Ph.D., professor and head of the Department of Geology and Geological Engineering at South Dakota Mines and director of the Museum of Geology on campus, will serve as the new interim vice president for research at South Dakota Mines.

“We're very fortunate to have an incredible leader like Dr. Anderson step up to fill this important role on campus,” says Mines President Jim Rankin, Ph.D., P.E.

Most recently, Anderson was named the first woman to receive an AAAS fellowship while employed at a South Dakota university. Read more about this fellowship and Anderson's career here.

Anderson is a paleontologist; her research focuses on reconstructing past environments by understanding the life, death and fossilization processes of clams, oysters and other marine and freshwater creatures. She received a B.A. (summa cum laude) in geology, biology and music from the University of Minnesota, Morris in 1985. She went on to complete an M.S. in geology in 1987 at Bowling Green State University, where she held an Amoco Foundation Geology Fellowship. She earned a Ph.D. in geology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1991. While at Madison, she received a Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation Fellowship and a Shell Companies Foundation Fellowship. In 1991, Anderson joined the faculty in the Department of Geology and Geophysics at Louisiana State University. She also served as LSU faculty senate president and chair of the Department of Geology and Geophysics. She came to South Dakota Mines in 2011 to serve as the geology and geological engineering department head and director of the Museum of Geology. She also served as interim head of the Department of Mining Engineering and Management in 2019-2020.

Anderson has been appointed to the interim position following the retirement of Ralph Davis, Ph.D., who served in this role since 2019.  “We are grateful to Dr. Davis for his service and expertise as vice president for research these past four years,” says Rankin.

Rob Hall, Ph.D., will serve as the interim head for the Department of Geology and Geological Engineering (GGE). Hall will also continue his role as department head for Mining Engineering and Management. He will be assisted by Liangping Li, Ph.D., who will serve as interim associate department head for GGE.