Vlad Kecojevic is a professor of Mining Engineering and the Massey Foundation Professor at West Virginia University. He is also a visiting professor at CETEMIN in Peru.

Scopus ID: 35611335000

He joined WVU’s Department of Mining Engineering in 2010. Kecojevic started his academic career with Penn State University as an assistant professor in 2001. He earned tenure and he was promoted to the rank of associate professor in 2007. Kecojevic held the Centennial Career Development Professorship in Mining Engineering at PSU from 2005 through 2009. Prior to joining PSU, he was employed with Krupp Canada (ThyssenKrupp) from 2000 to 2001 and he was responsible for the design of mining equipment. He was also involved in planning and design of coal, bauxite and limestone mines in Serbia and Montenegro from 1992 through 2000. He earned his B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in mining engineering from the University of Belgrade in 1991, 1996, and 2000, respectively.

His research areas of expertise include surface mining, surface mine safety, information technology and environmental issues in surface mining. Kecojevic's research has been funded by the mining industry, equipment manufacturers and governmental agencies. He has published his research work in a leading mining- and safety-related peer-reviewed journals.

Vlad was the 2015-2016 president of the Society of Mining Professors/Societät der Bergbaukunde, and he currently serves as the member of the SOMP Council; SOMP Ludwig Wilke Award Committee; SOMP Strategic Planning Committee; and SOMP Nominating Committee. Kecojevic was chair of the SOMP Membership Development Committee from 2009 through 2014 and a member of the SOMP Guenter Fettweis Award Committee. He served as the 2015 program chair of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration. Kecojevic also served as the 2013 chair of the SME Coal and Energy Division; chair of the C&E Division Executive Committee; chair of the SME Distinguished Member Award Committee; chair of the C&E Division Distinguished Service Award Committee; chair of the C&E Division Nominating Committee; chair of the SME Mineral Economics Award Committee; the 2011 program chair for the C&E Division; chair of the SME Stefanko Best Paper Award Committee; chair of the C&E Division Environmental Committee; and as a member of the SME Frank F. Aplan Award Committee, the SME Erskine Ramsay Medal Award Committee, the SME Robert Earll McConnell Award Committee, and the SME J.W. Woomer Award Committee. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the SME Pittsburgh Section.

He has been appointed by U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services to serve on the Safety and Occupational Health Study Section of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for a four-year period (2014-2018). He has also served as a member of review boards for the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences; Government of Chile; Canada Council for the Arts; Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada; Ministry for Science and Technological Development, Government of Serbia; and John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation.

Kecojevic's awards and honors include: the 2017 Erskine Ramsay Medal Award by the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineers (AIME); the Prazen Award for serving as the 2015 SME Program Chair; the 2016 WVU Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources Outstanding Advisor Award; the 2015 and 2016 WVU SME Student Chapter Award, which is given to a faculty member in mining engineering who has demonstrated superior dedication to the mining profession and offers a challenging atmosphere for student growth and development; the 2013 SME Coal and Energy Division Chair Award; the 2013 Stephen McCann Award for Excellence in Education by the Pittsburgh Coal Mining Institute of America; the Massey Foundation Professorship at WVU; the 2010-2011 and 2016-2017 WVU SME Student Chapter Award for outstanding faculty member in mining engineering; the SME Henry Krumb Lecturer, Centennial Career Development Professorship in Mining Engineering at PSU; George H. Deike, Jr. Research Award at PSU; and Wilson Research Program Award at PSU.

The main publications:

• Ghamari M., Soltanpur C., Rangel P., Groves W.A., Kecojevic V. Laboratory and field evaluation of three low-cost particulate matter sensors. IET Wireless Sensor Systems, 2022, 12(1), 21–32, https://doi.org/10.1049/wss2.12034;
• Zujovic L., Kecojevic V., Bogunovic D. Interactive mobile equipment safety task-training in surface mining. International Journal of Mining Science and Technology, 2021, 31(4), pp. 743–751, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijmst.2021.05.011;
• Zujovic L. Kecojevic V., Bogunovic D. Application of a content management system for developing equipment safety training courses in surface mining. Journal of the Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, 2020, 120(8), 467–474, https://doi.org/10.17159/2411-9717/1233/2020;
• Huang Q., Talan D., Restrepo J. H., Baena O. J. R., Kecojevic V. et. al. Characterization study of rare earths, yttrium, and scandium from various Colombian coal samples and non-coal lithologies. International Journal of Coal Geology, 2019, 209, 14–26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coal.2019.04.008;
• Prakash B. B., Kecojevic V., Lashgari A. Analysis of dust emission at coal train loading facility. International Journal of Mining, Reclamation and Environment, 2018, 32(1), 56–74. https://doi.org/10.1080/17480930.2016.1253138;
• Kavuri A., Prakash B., Sabniveesu V., Nimbarte A., Kulathumani V., Kecojevic V. An adaptive, run-time navigation system for haul trucks in surface mines. International Journal of Mining, Reclamation and Environment, 2017, 31 (5), 364–374, https://doi.org/10.1080/17480930.2016.1148566;
• Rohit F., Kulathumani V., Kavi R., Elwarfalli I., Kecojevic V., Nimbarte A. Real-time drowsiness detection using wearable, lightweight brain sensing headbands. IET Intelligent Transport Systems, 2017, 11(5), 255–263, https://doi.org/10.1049/iet-its.2016.0183;
• Badani-Prado M. A., Kecojevic V., Bogunovic D. Coal quality management model for dome storage (DS-CQMM). Journal of the Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, 2016, 116 (7), 699–708, https://doi.org/10.17159/2411-9717/2016/v116n7a12;
• Kavi R., Kulathumani V., Rohit F., Kecojevic V. Multiview fusion for activity recognition using deep neural networks. Journal of Electronic Imaging, 2016, 25 (4), 043010, https://doi.org/10.1117/1.JEI.25.4.043010;
• Zhang M., Kecojevic V. Intervention strategies to eliminate truck-related fatalities in surface coal mining in West Virginia. International Journal of Injury Control and Safety Promotion, 2016, 23(2), 115–129, https://doi.org/10.1080/17457300.2015.1032982;
• Lashgari A., Kecojevic V. Comparative analysis of dust emission of digging and loading equipment in surface coal mining. International Journal of Mining, Reclamation and Environment, 2016, 30(3), 181–196, https://doi.org/10.1080/17480930.2015.1028516;
• Noble A., Kecojevic V. Analysis of research scholarship for academic staff at US ABET accredited mining engineering schools by publications, citations and h-index. Transactions of the Institutions of Mining and Metallurgy, Section A: Mining Technology, 2015, 124(4), 222–230, https://doi.org/10.1179/1743286315Y.0000000010;
• Basta N. T., Whitacre S. D., Kecojevic V., Lashgari A., Lusk B.T. Dust characterization and source apportionment at an active surface mine in West Virginia. 2nd Environmental Considerations in Energy Production Conference, 2015, 82–89;
• Sabniveesu V., Kavuri A., Kavi R., Kulathumani V., Kecojevic V., Nimbarte A. Use of wireless, ad-hoc networks for proximity warning and collision avoidance in surface mines. International Journal of Mining, Reclamation and Environment, 29(5), 2015, 331–346, https://doi.org/10.1080/17480930.2015.1086550.