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Freeport-McMoRan Academic-Industry Mining (AIM) Fellowships to faculty

Hayley Bohall
January 28, 2025

Overview
Freeport-McMoRan offers Freeport-McMoRan Academic-Industry Mining (AIM) Fellowships to faculty teaching at accredited universities in Mining Engineering, Extractive Metallurgy, Economic Geology and / or other priority disciplines as identified by Freeport (see below). AIM Fellowships will be offered to faculty teaching in these disciplines at accredited universities / programs in the United States. Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration (SME), Academic Career Development applicants are eligible to apply.
The fellowship is structured as a work and learn program with a minimum eight consecutive week time commitment. The Company will hire selected professors for the summer and provide them with an in-depth understanding of the challenges and opportunities a mining company encounters. Each Fellow will be hired to tackle a specific project, selected by the Company, which addresses a mining- or process-related need.
Expectations and Benefits

  • Fellow will commit to full-time, seasonal work during their Fellowship. Fellowships are currently being offered during the summer only.
  • A minimum commitment of eight-weeks is required for placement.
  • Preference is given to candidates working toward tenure in aligned disciplines.
  • Fellow must not have employment restrictions (i.e. - eligibility to work for more than one employer concurrently).
  • Fellow will be placed at a domestic Freeport-McMoRan operational site. Geographical preferences will be taken into consideration.
  • Fellow will follow standard Freeport-McMoRan hiring protocol, including a background check and other screenings.
  • Consideration will be given to the type of research the Fellow has undertaken or is planning to undertake when operational site placement is being reviewed with a goal to support mutual interests.
  • Fellow could be asked to participate in and present at the Freeport-McMoRan Intern Day.
  • Fellow will provide a summary overview at the end of their Fellowship. This will include examples of how knowledge obtained will be used in their classroom and feedback on their experience.
  • A compensation, housing and travel package will be made available including consideration of family needs (within reason and with approval).
  • Compensation will be provided directly to the Fellow and not through the respective university.

Process

  • Candidates will complete an application with Freeport-McMoRan. The application must be accessed through this link. Steps to apply: Sign-in or create an account, complete your Profile and Application.
    • Contact our HR Service Center at: 1‐888‐855‐HELP (4357) from 7a.m. to 5p.m. Monday through Friday (except major holidays) or e‐mail HRSC@fmi.com, with any questions.
  •  Applications are due by February 28th, 2025. Freeport-McMoRan staff will review and determine if additional information is needed from the applicant. Phone interviews will be conducted (if necessary).
  • An offer of placement will occur from Freeport-McMoRan with necessary hiring protocols followed.

Post Fellowship Opportunities

  • At the end of the experience, Fellows will be considered for ongoing partnership from Freeport-McMoRan, this could include continuing engagement with Freeport staff, student projects, research projects, etc. This is not guaranteed, will not be available to all Fellows and will be a competitive process dependent on business needs and areas of mutual interest.

 

Freeport Priority Disciplines:
Analytics and / or Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning, digital twins in any of the major areas focused on copper or molybdenum:

  • Safety
  • Exploration including remote sensing, geophysics, geochemistry, and geology
  • Mining
  • Maintenance
  • Processing (Concentrating, Leaching, Pressure Leaching of Concentrate, Smelting, etc.)

Other areas of interest to improve efficiency while positively impacting ESG aspects:

  • Ore sorting
  • Mine planning
  • Hydrometallurgy (Leaching) including biochemistry
  • Comminution, milling, flotation
  • Alternative Tailings deposition options (filtering or comingled with waste options)
  • Internet of Things (IoT) / Field Sensing