Jack Groppo is Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies in the University of Kentucky Department of Mining Engineering, where his research focuses on coal-related byproducts utilization, REEs, and E-waste recycling. He has authored over 150 publications and holds 12 US and International patents on various aspects of mineral processing related to coal, industrial minerals, and combustion by-products.

 Jack earned BS and MS degrees in Mining and Minerals Engineering from Virginia Tech and his PhD in Mining Engineering from the University of Kentucky. He has worked with the North Carolina State University Minerals Research Laboratory, American Cyanamid Company, and the UK Center for Applied Energy Research before joining UK’s Department of Mining Engineering, also serving as Faculty Advisor for UK’s student chapter of SME.  He has received numerous national and international awards for research innovation and teaching excellence, and co-founded, with several former students, Verdant Beneficiated Resources and American Solar Recycling companies.