New Mexico Tech has promoted Lynda Ballou to the rank of Associate Teaching Professor; awarded tenure to Kevin Hobbs, a staff member with the New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources; awarded Nicole Hurtig and Becci Spruill tenure and promotion to the rank of Associate Professor; and promoted Mingji Zhang to the rank of Professor. They were recognized at New Mexico Tech’s annual Convocation held recently to kick off the new academic year.

“These five members of our community exemplify the commitment to STEM research, education and service that is the foundation of New Mexico Tech's promise for student success," said Dr. Coolen, the university’s Provost/Vice President of Academic Affairs and Vice President of Research. 

 

Promotion to Associate Teaching Professor

Dr. Lynda Ballou

Dr. Ballou is a dedicated teacher and colleague who performs an invaluable service to her department and to the institution and has served NMT and its students for nearly 24 years.

Dr. Ballou teaches some of the most difficult yet critical courses in our institutional requirements, including a range of foundational courses in the Math Department. External reviewers noted that Dr. Ballou’s “dossier reflects the profile of an exemplary teaching professional who has mastered the complexities of the NMT curriculum.” Dr. Ballou consistently demonstrates strong enthusiasm for teaching and is committed to helping every student understand the course material. Beyond her lectures, she is highly approachable, resourceful, and supportive. She offers ample opportunities for assistance, extending her availability beyond standard office hours and, when necessary, beyond regular school hours.

Among her service to the department, Dr. Ballou developed the department’s assessment procedures for lower-division courses, writes the department’s annual assessment report, and has served on the institutional Assessment Task Force since 2018. She also wrote the proposals for adding NMT’s calculus courses to the New Mexico Higher Education Department General Education curriculum and created new assignments for the Calculus 1 lab that helped the department assess MATH 1510 for the state’s essential skills for Area 2. 

 

Awarding of Tenure 

Dr. Kevin Hobbs

Dr. Hobbs is a Research Scientist and field mapper with the New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources (NMBGMR), where he conducts geologic mapping and research throughout New Mexico. A self-described geological generalist, his work spans a wide range of spatial and temporal scales, from soil micromorphology and Holocene geomorphic processes to basin-scale tectonics recorded throughout the state’s geologic history. Dr. Hobbs has demonstrated exceptional research productivity through peer-reviewed publications, technical reports, and significant contributions to New Mexico’s geologic literature.

Among his most notable accomplishments is leading the development of a machine learning–based assessment of erosion and sedimentation susceptibility in the Cañon Largo watershed on the Jicarilla Apache Nation. This project integrated geologic and topographic datasets to produce an important tool for natural hazard assessment. He also led the 2025 New Mexico Geological Society Fall Field Conference guidebook, a landmark publication synthesizing the geology of the eastern San Juan Basin and making a lasting contribution to the state’s geologic record.

Before joining NMBGMR in 2020, Dr. Hobbs served as an Assistant Professor of Geology at the University of New Mexico Valencia Campus and taught geology field camps in Montana, Colorado, Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico. Passionate about education and outreach, he shares the wonder of geology through college teaching, Master Naturalist programs, and public engagement.

 

Awarding of Tenure and Promotion to Associate Professor

Dr. Nicole Hurtig

Since joining New Mexico Tech in Fall 2020, Dr. Hurtig has been a dedicated educator who creates a challenging and welcoming environment for her students. She has taught and developed courses centered around her expertise in mineralogy, petrology, mapping, ore deposits, thermodynamics and geochemistry, that are cross-listed in Geology, Geochemistry and Mineral Engineering. She has consistently received very high evaluations from her students. 

Dr. Hurtig’s research encompasses observations, experimental work, and modeling to understand metal transport in geofluids. Because of the broad nature of the work, she has also developed significant experimental infrastructure at NMT, including a state-of-the-art Raman Spectroscopy Lab, a hydrothermal experimental lab, and a refurbished existing fluid inclusion lab. 

Dr. Hurtig has published extensively with her students and postdocs and in high-quality journals of her field. Dr. Hurtig has received substantial funding on awards together with colleagues at New Mexico Tech’s Petroleum Recovery Research Center (PRRC), Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources (NMBGMR), the department of Earth and Environmental Science, and the Los Alamos National Laboratory. She obtained funding from NSF-MRI in 2021 for the acquisition of a high-resolution confocal Raman microscope with capabilities to perform liquid and solid experiments. Finally, she has been invited to speak at national and international conferences, evidence of her recognition as a leader in her field of research.

 

Awarding of Tenure and Promotion to Associate Professor

Becci Spruill (MFA)

Since joining New Mexico Tech in Fall 2021 as the first tenure-track faculty in Creative and Fine Arts, Associate Professor Spruill has established herself as a dedicated educator, innovative researcher, and key contributor to the campus community. Carrying a regular load of three courses per semester, she has developed 10 new courses across art history, fine art studio, and general education design studio. Her course offerings are highly popular, earning consistently outstanding student evaluations that highlight her deep knowledge, creative teaching strategies, and strong investment in student success.

In her research and creative practice, Associate Professor Spruill has expanded the university’s artistic reach by building a new print-making studio space and pioneering cutting-edge art-science collaborations with departments such as Earth and Environmental Sciences. Her prolific scholarly portfolio includes participation in regional, national, and international exhibitions—including five juried and five invitational shows. External reviewers praised her productive research agenda, pointing to her continuous engagement in exciting interdisciplinary scholarship and her rare ability to balance extensive teaching and service with high-level studio research and campus collaborations.

Her extensive service activities have addressed a wide range of needs for her department, the university and the profession. Among those activities, she has served as a board member for the international organization she co-founded, the Radical Intersectional Printmakers Guild, and has served as Vice President of the Mid America Print Council, the largest national organization in her field.

 

Promotion to Professor

Dr. Mingji Zhang

Throughout his career, Dr. Zhang has made sustained contributions to the scholarly, educational, and intellectual life of New Mexico Tech and the broader professional community. An exceptional educator, Dr. Zhang teaches a wide range of undergraduate courses, develops innovative curricula, and consistently receives outstanding student evaluations. He also fosters student success by organizing research seminars and mentoring students at all levels.

Since his promotion to Associate Professor with tenure in 2020, Dr. Zhang has published 39 refereed articles in 15 leading mathematics and applied mathematics journals, including an Editor’s Choice paper in Chaos. His research focuses on geometric singular perturbation theory, nonlinear partial differential equations, and applications to biological systems, particularly ion channel problems. He has advised four Ph.D. students, one M.S. student, and 21 undergraduate students, resulting in numerous co-authored publications supported by external funding, including the Simons Foundation. External reviewers have recognized his interdisciplinary research as a major contribution bridging mathematics and biology.

Dr. Zhang has also demonstrated exceptional service through leadership of the Mathematics Colloquium and Dynamical Systems Seminar, service on institutional committees, outreach and student recruitment efforts, conference organization, journal editorial appointments, and more than 50 invited keynote, conference, colloquium, and seminar presentations within the international mathematics community.