Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award (2024)
SDSMT Outstanding Student Organization Advisor Award (2023)
Education
Brief Bio
Peter A. Adcock completed his BS in Chemistry at James Cook University in Townsville, Queensland, Australia. About 25% of his credits were for research in electrochemistry and inorganic synthesis and characterization. In 1981 he began a 30-year relationship with the Electrolytic Zinc Company in Hobart, Tasmania, and its successors, Pasminco, Zinifex, and Nyrstar. Between 1995 and 1999, he was a doctoral scholar at Western Sydney University. Then, he diversified into research in aluminum processing, photovoltaic technologies, and fuel cell technology, the longest at Los Alamos National Lab as a Postdoctoral Fellow.
Dr. Adcock then spent 14 years at four primarily undergraduate institutions, where he taught general and physical chemistry and more. During some summers, he supervised as many as 5 undergraduate research students all working for pay.
In 2018, Dr. Adcock joined SD Mines as a Senior Lecturer of Chemistry. At SD Mines, Dr. Adcock has been a research committee member for two graduate students in CBE and MES departments. He has supervised 4 undergraduate researchers including co-supervision of one REU student on nickel electrochemistry in MES department in 2026.
Dr. Adcock holds one patent and one provisional patent, and has one Invention Disclosure in evaluation. He is the sole or first author on one book chapter, 7 journal articles, and 9 conference papers in published proceedings volumes. Dr. Adcock credits his years teaching physical chemistry with making him a better researcher in hydrometallurgical processing and electrochemical testing.
Research Expertise
Before returning to academia for his Ph.D., Adcock had many years of industrial research experience. He collaborated with Prof. James W. Evans of University of California Berkeley, on spouted bed zinc electrowinning, and with a Japanese ion exchange membrane manufacturer on potential membrane development for that process. His Ph.D. focused on fundamentals of zinc electrowinning with iron(II) present and test techniques for development of new electrowinning processes. His current research interests include critical minerals processing, metals recycling, controlling morphology in electrodeposition, and intensification of aqueous electrowinning processes.
Teaching
At SD Mines, Dr. Adcock has taught General Chemistry II, the Physical Chemistry sequence, and labs for both. Previously, he taught or co-taught undergraduate lecture and lab courses in general chemistry, analytical chemistry, physical chemistry, inorganic chemistry, research methods, plus lab safety and report writing, and he developed and taught electives in electrochemistry and materials chemistry.