The Research Committee is a volunteer group of a minimum eight members who are managed by the Research Chair, Mr. Tim Bauer, with guidance from the SMRI Vice President (Research Chair) Mr. Eric Busch, and the SMRI Secretary Treasurer (Tech Class Chair) Mr. Dirk Zapf. The committee role consists of selecting research subjects, recommending research projects, as well as managing, monitoring progress, and adjusting as necessary each research project plans, plus editing drafts and approving each research report as complete.
The SMRI Research Committee is normally comprised of an equal number of members from North America and from outside North America. The Executive Committee strives to maintain a balance of expertise in the Research Committee membership by selecting committee members from solution mining companies, energy storage companies, service companies, researchers, and consultants. Each committee member serves a term of four years and as membership terms expire, new committee members are selected from submitted applications. Membership on the Research Committee has proven very competitive in recent years, with a list of highly qualified applicants, while we always wish to add expertise to the available list. After serving on this committee, members often apply and are selected for Executive Committee service, as they know the industry, learn the SMRI procedures, and demonstrate their effectiveness during their four year term.
Research Committee membership is on a volunteer basis and requires a significant commitment of time and resources, so they are encouraged to obtain support from their employer before applying. If during the course of a term, an committee member’s employer or the member determines that the commitment cannot be continued, the committee member is encouraged to resign. If this situation arises, the SMRI Executive Committee will appoint a new committee member to complete the term of the committee member who resigned.
Research Committee applications not selected in a given year are considered active in following years, unless applicant withdraws. SMRI maintains a list of highly qualified applicants and try to keep a balance of areas of expertise, operators - service providers, and countries/regions. Selection often takes 2 or 3 years even for best qualified applicants in their specific field. Research Committee applications must be submitted to Research Coordinator Tim Bauer ([email protected]) and Executive Director John Nadeau ([email protected]) by 1 March to be considered for the following year. For those interested in applying for a Future Research Committee position, more details on the role expectations can be found HERE.
SMRI RESEARCH COMMITTEE MEMBERS, 2025:
