Preparing the next generation of engineers and scientists means preparing them to work, lead and solve complex problems in a world increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence.
Through the AI@Mines leadership team, Colorado School of Mines is integrating AI into the undergraduate educational experience in ways that reflect how technology is transforming engineering, science and industry. The effort brings together faculty expertise, industry insight and university resources to help students build the knowledge and skills they will need to succeed in an AI-enabled world.
Two groups of distinguished faculty will work together with the AI@Mines leadership team to help advance this work during the 2026-27 academic year: the AI@Mines Faculty Advisory Board and AI@Mines Faculty Champions. Together, they will help Mines keep pace with advances in artificial intelligence while ensuring its integration into teaching and learning is grounded in technical rigor, critical thinking, ethical considerations and the needs of individual disciplines and industries.
AI@Mines Faculty Advisory Board
The AI@Mines Faculty Advisory Board brings together faculty with expertise in artificial intelligence, machine learning and the broader social, ethical and human dimensions of these technologies.
The board will provide university-level guidance on emerging AI capabilities, limitations and trends and how they apply to undergraduate education. Members will also serve as a resource for faculty and Faculty Champions, inform faculty development opportunities and help ensure considerations such as ethics, bias, privacy and societal impact remain central to Mines’ approach.
2026-27 AI@Mines Faculty Advisory Board
- Heather Fester, Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences
- Pejman Tahmasebi, Petroleum Engineering
- Bo Wu, Computer Science
- Xiaoli Zhang, Mechanical Engineering
AI@Mines Faculty Champions
AI@Mines Faculty Champions will bring the initiative to the department and program level, helping faculty understand how AI is changing their disciplines and the industries their graduates will enter.
Champions will connect with industry experts, identify emerging AI trends relevant to their programs and help organize faculty training and development opportunities. They will also guide conversations about how AI should be reflected in course content, pedagogy and assessment, helping ensure Mines graduates are prepared to contribute and lead in AI-enabled industries.
2026-27 AI@Mines Faculty Champions
- Jeff Ackerman, Mechanical Engineering
- Eliza Buhrer, Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences
- Duncan Davis-Hall, Engineering, Design and Society
- Mohamed Khaled, Petroleum Engineering
- Christine Liebe, Computer Science
- Alex Pak, Chemical and Biological Engineering
- Prachi Sharma, Electrical Engineering
- Lauren Shumaker, University Honors and Scholars
- Frankie Zhu, Mechanical Engineering
The Faculty Advisory Board and Faculty Champions will work alongside the Office of Undergraduate Studies, Trefny Innovative Instruction Center, Ben Fryrear Chair for Innovation and Excellence, Director of AI Acceleration and other campus partners to advance AI education at Mines. Next steps will be centered around the incorporation of student voices, through an upcoming call for a Student Advisory Team.
About Mines
Colorado School of Mines is a public R1 research university focused on applied science and engineering, producing the talent, knowledge and innovations to serve industry and benefit society – all to create a more prosperous future.
