Meet Dr. Angela Lueking

Montana Technological University welcomes Dr. Angela Lueking as our new Vice Chancellor for Research and Dean of the Graduate School.

Dr. Lueking previously served as Associate Dean for Research at Missouri S&T, a position she held since 2018. In this position, she facilitated new research partnerships with external stakeholders, built collaborations across the university, mentored junior faculty, and oversaw the College's research activities for data-driven decision making, strategic direction, and resource allocation.

She served as Program Director of Molecular Separations at the National Science Foundation from 2016-2018, including topics in the purification of industrial chemicals, drinking water, and biopharmaceuticals. She was the point person for two disciplinary inter-agency National Academy Studies and led a program to reenergize mid-career faculty.

At Penn State for 15 years, she held joint appointments in Energy & Mineral Engineering and Chemical Engineering and conducted research in hydrogen storage that coupled material development, advanced in situ characterization, and ab initio molecular modeling.

She holds patents in the low-pressure synthesis of nanocrystalline diamond and carbon-based hydrogen clathrates. Her accomplishments led to her selection as an International Marie Curie Fellowship in 2012, one of twenty-five American scientists to receive this honor. Beyond research, she was co-Principal Investigator on an NSF-funded graduate education and outreach program, and co-authored the 2018 general education textbook "Science of the Earth, Climate, and Energy." She holds a BS degree in chemical engineering from the University of Nebraska and from the University of Michigan, dual MS degrees in environmental engineering and chemical engineering, and a Ph.D. in chemical engineering.

“We’re excited to welcome Dr. Lueking and her family to Montana Tech and the community,” said Chancellor Les Cook. “The breadth of Angela’s experiences at Missouri University of Science and Technology, Penn State, the University of Michigan, and the National Science Foundation will prove incredibly valuable for Montana Tech. With a new strategic plan underway, I have the utmost confidence in her leadership and vision to continue moving us forward.”

Dr. Lueking sees research growth at Montana Tech as a means to promote a culture of innovation, experiential learning, problem-finding, and creative problem-solving. These components are a critical part of the overall Montana Technological University strategic plan.

Moreover, Dr. Lueking sees Montana Tech’s unique convergent graduate programs as a strategic advantage in delivering results to outside stakeholders. Convergence is an approach to problem-solving that merges perspectives and ideas from multiple disciplines.

Lueking shares, “Whereas my own graduate studies in environmental engineering were largely academic, graduate students at Montana Tech have a real-world “moonshot” science and engineering challenge in their own backyard. Students at Montana Tech are bringing cutting-edge 21st Century technology to longstanding environmental, health, and engineering challenges. This is a truly trans-disciplinary endeavor, the local/regional impacts are immediate, and implementation of these new technologies by Tech students will inform national debate around mineral needs for clean energy. This is truly an exciting time to be at Montana Tech.”

To grow research opportunities Dr. Lueking plans to revisit the incentive structure for conducting research at Montana Technological University, develop new modes of graduate course delivery with a focus on expanding delivery to adult-learners and working professionals, and build external partnerships that will lower the financial entry point for faculty and student participation in the graduate program at Montana Tech. A focus for Lueking in year 1 is the fledgling Earth and Science Ph.D. program, an increased yield in converting graduate student applicants to enrolled students, an accelerated masters program, and exploring stackable graduate certificates that cater to working professionals.

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Angela Lueking to the Montana Technological University family.