Hagan has spent the past 16 years in various roles at the school and holds undergraduate and postgraduate mining engineering qualifications from UNSW.

Hagan’s research interests include the stability of underground mines, a key area of focus in the school’s broader strategy addressing ground control for the hard rock and coal sectors, which includes the establishment of a world-class research centre.

“This is an area that is growing in importance as mining companies are forced to go deeper in search of valuable deposits,” Hagan said.

Other research in the school is focused on the effectiveness of various underground mining methods, such as block caving and longwall top caving.

“There are a host of traditional methods like cut and fill and sublevel open stoping,” Hagan said. “They’re effective at high recovery and low dilution but they’re also high cost.”

Despite recent changes in the mining landscape – such as increased use of technology and cyclical shifts – Hagan maintains a positive outlook for the sector and especially the demand for mining engineering graduates.

“The industry is still producing record tonnes,” he said. “It’s still growing, and its need for engineers will not lessen in the future.”

His nearly 13 years’ industry experience has taken him to coal mines in NSW, underground gold mines in South Africa and the iron ore mines of Western Australia's Pilbara, underscoring his strong commitment to engage with industry.

Hagan inherits the role with the school already in a “strong position”

“We’ve got record numbers of undergraduate and postgraduate students, and academic staff, so really we're well set for the future,” Hagan said.

He attributes the strength of the school to the work of his predecessors and the enthusiastic team of academics.

UNSW dean of engineering Graham Davies said: “I thank Bruce for all his leadership in bringing the school to prominence throughout the world, and welcome Paul into this exciting role to take the school to the next level.”