Dr. Mku Ityokumbul holds the UZ-Zimplats Professorial Chair in Mining at the University of Zimbabwe where he is also the Acting Director of the newly created School of Earth and Mineral Sciences. He has over 30 years teaching and research experience in Africa and North America. While at the Pennsylvania State University, he was actively involved in the Alliance for Earth Sciences, Engineering, and Development in Africa (AESEDA). The Alliance sought to partner with African institutions to develop unique solutions to problems facing the continent, especially those associated with the extractive industries. He was involved in the development of courses for the Nigerian Institute of Mining and Geosciences in Jos, a World Bank sponsored project aimed at capacity building to promote development in the Nigerian mining industry. He was granted a Fulbright scholarship to Nigeria during the 2011/2012 cycle. He received his B.E degree in Chemical Engineering from Ahmadu Bello University in 1979 and a Ph.D. in Engineering Science from the University of Western Ontario, London, Canada in 1987.