The Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration (SME) has awarded Dr Vishal Gupta the Industrial Minerals & Aggregates Division’s Outstanding Young Scientist Award. This award, established in 1995, recognises members who have significantly contributed to the workings of SME and the Industrial Minerals & Aggregates Division and have an outstanding reputation for professionalism and accomplishments.

Gupta is a Research Engineer with FLSmidth. Since joining FLSmidth in 2010, he put forward three invention disclosures in the area of mineral beneficiation and solvent extraction and was selected as the winner of FLSmidth’s Business Idea Competition in 2012. He specialises in surface chemistry of minerals and has over seven years of academic and four years of industry research experience working in surface chemistry of minerals particularly clay minerals such as kaolinite, trona and other sulphide mineral flotation, coal processing and optimisation, mineral beneficiation, and bacteria and nanoparticles transport. Gupta has led creative and innovative efforts in mineral beneficiation such as coal washability, magnetic separation, flotation, and tailings treatment.

Gupta received his PhD in metallurgical engineering from the University of Utah in 2010. He has also received his MS from Southern Illinois University and Bachelor of Technology with honors degree from Indian School of Mines. Gupta has received one patent and has published 12 journal articles, one book, and one book chapter. Additionally, he has presented work in many national and international technical conferences and was selected as one of SME’s 2012-2013 Henry Krumb Lecturers.