Dr. Mary Poulton was a University Distinguished Professor in Geosciences, Mining Engineering, Law, and Public Health until her retirement from the University of Arizona in May 2017. She was the first woman to lead an engineering department in the history of the University of Arizona, serving from 2000 to 2014. She founded and directed the interdisciplinary Lowell Institute for Mineral Resources (IMR), the largest interdisciplinary research center for mineral resources in the US, and is now co-chairman of the board of directors.
She also founded and ran the NIOSH-funded Western Mine Safety and Health Training Resource Center. Poulton has co-founded or advised 6 start up companies. She is an expert consultant to NIOSH. Dr. Poulton’s research on machine learning and artificial intelligence for the past 30 years has led to a book, more than 90 publications, a US patent, and innovations in the mining, oil and gas, and water industries. Dr. Poulton has a BSc, MSc, and PhD in Geological Engineering from the University of Arizona and attended Western Illinois University.