Biography
From 1975 to 1996 I worked for various engineering consulting organizations. My experience includes mining exploration, geotechnical engineering, mine design, design of tailings dams, water resources engineering and hydroelectric engineering. I worked on projects in Canada, the US, Central and South America, Iran, Africa, and China.
In January 1997, I joined the Department of Mining Engineering at the University of British Columbia. I taught courses in Mine Economics, Mine Waste Management, Mine Design, Simulation, and Engineering Ethics. I was the founding director of the Integrated Engineering program, an undergraduate engineering program that focuses on the interdisciplinary nature of engineering practice, teamwork in design, independent learning, and communication skills.
My research concerns the development of advanced mining and mineral processing methods. Some basic questions: What will a mine look like 50 to 100 years from now? What innovations are needed to make it happen?
Education
- Stanford University, 1977, PhD Geophysics and Civil Engineering
- University of Toronto, 1973, MSc Geophysics
- University of British Columbia, 1972, BSc Geophysics
Selected Publications
Dunbar WS, Fraser J, Reynolds A, Kunz NC, 2019. Mining needs new business models. The Extractive Industries and Society, 7:263-266
Baatartogtokh B, Dunbar WS, van Zyl D, 2018. The state of outsourcing in the Canadian mining industry, Resources Policy, 59:184-191.
Lederer FL, Curtis SB, Dunbar WS, MacGillivray RTA, 2017. Identification of lanthanum-selective peptides for future recycling of rare earth elements from compact fluorescent lamps. Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 114(5):1016-1024.
Curtis SB, Lederer FL, Dunbar WS, MacGillivray RTA, 2017. Identification of mineral-binding peptides that discriminate between chalcopyrite and enargite. Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 114(5):998-1005.
Dunbar WS, 2017. Biotechnology and the mine of tomorrow. Trends in Biotechnology, 35(1):79-89
Grieco S-HH, Wong AYK, Dunbar WS, MacGillivray RTA, and Curtis SB, 2012. Optimization of fermentation parameters in phage production using response surface methodology, Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology, 39(10): 1515-1522
Curtis SB, Dunbar WS, MacGillivray RTA, 2012. Bacteriophage-induced aggregation of oil sands tailings, Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 110(3):803-811
Gunson AJ, Klein B, Veiga M and Dunbar S, 2012. Reducing mine water requirements. Journal of Cleaner Production, 21:71-82
Curtis SB, MacGillivray RTA, Dunbar WS, 2011. Effects of bacteriophage on the surface properties of chalcopyrite (CuFeS2), and phage-induced flocculation of chalcopyrite, glacial till, and oil sands tailings. Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 108(7): 1579-1590
Grieco 5-HH, Lee S, Dunbar WS, MacGillivray RTA, and Curtis SB, 2009. Maximizing filamentous phage yield during computer-controlled fermentation. Bioprocess and Biosystems Engineering, 32:773-779
Curtis S, Hewit J, MacGillivray RTA, and Dunbar WS, 2009. Biomining with bacteriophage: Selectivity of displayed peptides for naturally occurring sphalerite and chalcopyrite. Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 102:644-650
