Robert John Mitchell is an American

geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the structure, composition, and History of Earth, history of Earth. Geologists incorporate techniques from physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, and geography to perform research in the Field research, ...

and Digges Distinguished Professor of Engineering Geology at

Western Washington University Western Washington University (WWU or Western) is a public university in Bellingham, Washington, United States. The northernmost university in the contiguous United States, WWU was founded in 1893 as the state-funded New Whatcom Normal School, s ...

. Mitchell, as a professor in the Geology Department, conducts research and teaches courses on the topics of

engineering geology Engineering geology is the application of geology to engineering study for the purpose of assuring that the geological factors regarding the location, design, construction, operation and maintenance of engineering works are recognized and accou ...

and

hydrogeology Hydrogeology (''hydro-'' meaning water, and ''-geology'' meaning the study of the Earth) is the area of geology that deals with the distribution and movement of groundwater in the soil and rock (geology), rocks of the Earth's crust (ge ...

, as well as

numerical modeling Computer simulation is the running of a mathematical model on a computer, the model being designed to represent the behaviour of, or the outcome of, a real-world or physical system. The reliability of some mathematical models can be determin ...

hydrology Hydrology () is the scientific study of the movement, distribution, and management of water on Earth and other planets, including the water cycle, water resources, and drainage basin sustainability. A practitioner of hydrology is called a hydro ...

and

water resources Water resources are natural resources of water that are potentially useful for humans, for example as a source of drinking water supply or irrigation water. These resources can be either Fresh water, freshwater from natural sources, or water produ ...

. He was a Washington-licensed hydrogeologist under a specialty geologist license from 2002 until 2018.

Personal life and education

Mitchell's hometown is

Hudson, Wisconsin Hudson is a city in and the county seat of St. Croix County, Wisconsin, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 14,755. It is part of the Minneapolis–St. Paul metropolitan area. History Several Li ...

. He received a B.S. degree in geology (with a minor in math) from the

University of Wisconsin–River Falls The University of Wisconsin–River Falls (UW–River Falls or UWRF) is a public university in River Falls, Wisconsin, United States. It is part of the University of Wisconsin System. The campus is situated on the Kinnickinnic River in the ...

in 1983, and also holds a 1986

M.S. A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medicine ...

in geophysics from

Michigan Technological University Michigan Technological University (Michigan Tech, MTU, or simply Tech) is a public research university in Houghton, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1885 as the Michigan Mining School, the first post-secondary institution in the Uppe ...

and a 1990 M.S. in physics from

University of Minnesota Duluth The University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) is a public university in Duluth, Minnesota, United States. It is part of the University of Minnesota System. UMD offers 17 bachelor's degrees in 87 majors, graduate programs in 24 different fields, a tw ...

. He received his

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

in environmental engineering from Michigan Technological University in 1996, with a

thesis A thesis (: theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: D ...

entitled ''Nonideal Flow and Solute Transport in Unsaturated Porous Media: A Modeling Study'', advised by Alex S. Mayer. Mitchell joined the faculty of

that same year.

Career

Mitchell holds the Robert H. and Kathleen Digges Distinguished Professorship in the Geology Department at

. Mitchell's research studies climate change resilience and the climate's effects on water resources and hillslope processes. Mitchell served on the Washington Geologist Licensing Board in 2014, and also served as the chair of the Environmental & Engineering Geology Division of the

Geological Society of America The Geological Society of America (GSA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of the geosciences. History The society was founded in Ithaca, New York, in 1888 by Alexander Winchell, John J. Stevenson, Charles H. Hi ...

from 2020 to 2021. He is a member of the Geological Society of America and a contributor to the Science Education Resource Center at

Carleton College Carleton College ( ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota, United States. Founded in 1866, the main campus is between Northfield and the approximately Carleton ...

and the State of Washington Water Research Center at

Washington State University Washington State University (WSU, or colloquially Wazzu) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Pullman, Washington, United States. Founded in 1890, WSU is also one of the oldest Land-grant uni ...

Awards

Mitchell was a 2019 inductee into the

's Swenson College Academy of Science & Engineering. In 2022, he won an EEGD Meritorious Service Award from the

References

External links

Robert Mitchell
– Geology Department, Western Washington University Living people Year of birth missing (living people) People from Hudson, Wisconsin American geologists American engineers Hydrogeologists American engineering academics University of Wisconsin–River Falls alumni Michigan Technological University alumni University of Minnesota Duluth alumni Western Washington University faculty {{US-engineer-stub