In Colombia, Peru, and other Latin American countries, different scales of mining activity usually develop in areas with high social, economic, and environmental complexity. Artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) is one mining sector that continues to grow and pose challenges for governments, industry, communities, and academics. Although numerous attempts have been made to intervene in this sector and implement cleaner, safer, and more environmentally friendly technologies, the majority of these initiatives have been relatively unsuccessful for they have been founded on myopic understandings of ASGM and the perspective that technology is a silver bullet for addressing the problems associated with ASGM. The complexity of ASGM warrants a different research approach. This paper provides an example of a framework that is being applied to research and engineering education on ASGM. The framework is highly interdisciplinary, international, inter-institutional, and intergenerational in nature. We contend that this type of approach is necessary to support ASGM in becoming a more sustainable livelihood for rural communities in the developing world.