Allegiance Resources Corp. (CSE: ALLG, FSE: BG5) has appointed Dr. Ehsan Vahidi, Associate Professor and Department Chair of Mining and Metallurgical Engineering at the University of Nevada, Reno, to its advisory board, according to a company statement.

Dr. Vahidi holds the John N. Butler Endowed Professorship in Extractive Metallurgy at the university. He earned his Ph.D. at Purdue University, where his research was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy's Critical Materials Institute, and completed a postdoctoral appointment at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 2024, he received the Freeport-McMoRan Inc. Career Development Grant from the Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration.

In his advisory role, Dr. Vahidi will evaluate Allegiance's existing and proposed tungsten projects from a metallurgical and processing standpoint, advise on processing routes and project economics, and help the company identify potential grant and government funding opportunities, including programs from the U.S. Department of Energy.

Allegiance holds a 100% interest in the Golden Scheelite tungsten project in Humboldt County, Nevada. The company has also entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the Thanksgiving, Five T's and Rio Grande tungsten projects in British Columbia, though that acquisition remains subject to closing conditions.

The company stated it intends to pursue a research collaboration with the University of Nevada, Reno's Department of Mining and Metallurgical Engineering, though no agreement with the university has been reached.

In connection with the appointment, Allegiance will grant Dr. Vahidi 30,000 stock options under its stock option plan.

According to U.S. Geological Survey data cited in the press release, China accounted for an estimated 79% of global tungsten mine production in 2025, and the United States has had no commercial tungsten mine production since 2015. China placed export controls on certain tungsten items in February 2025.