Richard A. Bajura

Dr. Richard A. Bajura is Director of the National Research Center for Coal and Energy (NRCCE), at West Virginia University (WVU).

In 1969, he joined WVU where he served as a faculty member and later was appointed Director, Energy and Water Research Center in 1984. His early interests as a faculty researcher were in fluid dynamics and energy processes (1969 – 1984). He became Associate Provost for Research in 1990. Since 1994, he has served as the Director of the National Research Center for Coal and Energy.

Bajura graduated with a BSME and an MSME in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Notre Dame and a PhD in Fluids Engineering at the same university.

He is currently active on the Energy Committee of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and is a member of the National Coal Council, the Coal Utilization Research Council (CURC), the Pittsburgh Coal Conference Advisory Board, the Washington Coal Club Board of Directors, and the Fossil Energy Strategic Initiatives for Coal and Power Workgroup.

In 2005, West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin designated Bajura as a Distinguished Mountaineer in recognition of his service and leadership in research and development of the State’s energy, economic, and environmental resources.