Ezzeddin Bakhtavar

Dr. Ezzeddin Bakhtavar is a professor of mining engineering with over 16 years of combined academic and industry experience. He joined Laurentian University in 2025 as an Associate Professor in the School of Engineering and Computer Science, following his appointments as a Visiting Professor at the University of British Columbia from 2018–2019 and 2022–2024. In 2021, he was promoted to Full Professor of Mining Engineering at Urmia University of Technology, where he had held progressive academic positions since 2009. Dr. Bakhtavar has authored numerous peer-reviewed journal articles, practical guidelines, and scholarly books, making significant contributions to the field of sustainable mining. His research focuses on sustainable mine planning and design, sustainable mine-to-mill optimization, reclamation and post-closure strategies, and the integration of emerging technologies—including IoT, AI, UAVs, and multi-objective optimization—within the evolving frameworks of Mining 4.0 and 5.0. Recognized as one of the world’s top 2% most-cited scientists in Mining & Environment (Scopus, since 2019), he continues to advance innovation in mining systems and responsible resource development.

• Ph.D. in Mining Engineering (2009)
• M.A.Sc. in Mining Engineering (2004)
• B.A.Sc. in Mining Engineering (2002)

• Associate Professor, Laurentian University, Canada, Since Jan 2025
• Visiting Professor, The University of British Columbia, Canada, 2022-2025
• Visiting Associate Professor, The University of British Columbia, Canada, 2018-2019
• Full Professor of Mining Engineering, Urmia University of Technology, Iran, 2021-2024
• Associate Professor of Mining Engineering, Urmia University of Technology, Iran, 2016-2021
• Assistant Professor of Mining Engineering, Urmia University of Technology, Iran, 2009-2016

• Sustainable and Smart Mining
• Optimization of Sustainable Underground Mine Planning and Design
• Sustainable Combined Open-Pit and Underground Mining
• Optimization of Sustainable Mine-to-Mill Operations
• Multi-objective Optimization unde Uncertainty

• Top 2% of cited scientists globally in “Mining & Environment” (since 2019-SCOPUS).
• National book of the year in Iran (2021 and 2022), Bakhtavar, E. Combined Open-pit & Underground Mining.
• Researcher of the 4-year (Faculty), Urmia University of Technology (UUT), (2012, 2016, 2020).
• Ranked 1st in Ph.D. National Entrance Exam of Mining Engineering in Iran, (2005).
• Top Ph.D. Student (Amirkabir Uni. Tech.), Iran (2005-2009).

Badakhshan, N., Bakhtavar, E., Shahriar, K., Afraei, S., Ben-Awuah, E. (2025). Unmanned Mining Fleet Management: A Multi-Objective Framework Integrating Deep Reinforcement Learning and Internet of Things, Expert Systems With Applications 287, 128238. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eswa.2025.128238

Bakhtavar, E., Hosseini, S., Main, H., Hewage, K., Sadiq, R. (2025). Robust Prediction of Water Arsenic Levels Downstream of Gold Mines Affected by Acid Mine Drainage Using Hybrid Ensemble Machine Learning and Soft Computing, Journal of Hazardous Materials 489: 137665. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.137665.

Samadi, M., Gilania, S.O., Abdollahisharif, J., Bakhtavar, E. (2025). Towards Sustainable Mine Closure and Reclamation Through Strategic Tailing Disposal Sites Evaluation: A Causality-Based Dempster-Shafer Framework, Resources Policy 108: 105676. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2025.105676.

Kotagodahetti, R., Hewage, K., Bakhtavar, E., Sadiq, R. (2025). Gaseous fuel supply chain configuration selection: A life cycle thinking-based decision support framework. Expert Systems With Applications 273: 126944. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eswa.2025.126944.

Zhang, H., Hewage, K., Bakhtavar, E., Sun, Q., Sadiq, R. (2025). Robust building energy retrofit evaluation under uncertainty: An interpretable machine learning approach. Energy Conversion and Management 345: 120362. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2025.120362.

Khoso, S., Bakhtavar, E., Abouyoussef, A., Zahid, M., Hewage, K., Sadiq, R. (2025), Optimizing Hybrid Insulation Systems for Diverse Climates: A Comparative Analysis of Composite Material Combinations in Residential Buildings, Journal of Energy and Buildings.

Abouyoussef, A., Hewage, K., Bakhtavar, E., Sadiq, R. (2025). Evaluating Advanced Building Insulation Materials: A Flexible-Weighting Multi-Objective Optimization Approach. Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjce-2024-0579.