Dan Alexander Memorial Prize

About the Dan Alexander Memorial Prize

Established in 2021 in memory of Dr Dan Alexander and maintained by the income of a perpetual endowment fund supported by JKTech, family and friends.

The Dan Alexander Memorial Prize has been established to continue this legacy of Dan’s by supporting the next generation of visionaries and up and coming leaders.

The purpose of the prize is to support Higher Degree by Research students at The University of Queensland's Sustainable Minerals Institute, to seed fund the commercialisation of their research.

The award will be announced at an event on 15 November 2024.

Recommending authority

Director, Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre, Sustainable Minerals Institute (SMI)

Eligibility

The prize is open to Higher Degree by Research candidates at The University of Queensland’s Sustainable Minerals Institute.

Entry guidelines

Written entries only. Groups may enter but the submission must be for one idea only.

Selection Committee

Selection of a prize recipient will be made each year on the recommendation of a selection committee comprised of:

A JKTech Chairperson
The Director of the Sustainable Minerals Institute or delegate
The Chief Executive Officer of JKTech
A member of the Alexander Family

Selection Process

Applicants will be ranked by the Selection Committee on the basis of:

having the best idea for a product, service, piece of intellectual property, or commercialisation opportunity which has real-world applications and optimisation benefits to the resources industry;
any other matters the selection committee sees fit to the applicant’s future development.

Apply for the prize

Applications are now open until 24 August 2025.

Please complete the nomination form and return to smi.admin@uq.edu.au

Nomination form

If you require further information, please contact smi.admin@uq.edu.au

Nature of prize

The value of the prize is up to $6,000 for one year to be used to support the development of the product, service, intellectual property, or commercialisation idea of the prize winner identified during the selection process. More than one prize may be available depending on the disbursements available from the fund.

History of the fund

This Fund has been established to honour the memory of Dr Dan Alexander. The Dan Alexander Fund will support PhD students at UQ, enabling the next generation of leaders to learn, grow and benefit from the impact of Dan’s legacy.

Dr Dan Alexander was a gifted leader and visionary. His mining career spanned 25 years and traversed the globe. He understood the mining industry because he had a rare blend of technical expertise, combined with practical experience, which enabled him to develop strong relationships and gain the trust of people across all areas of the mining operations. Dan tackled difficult problems by applying new methods and with humility – the warm, open, gregarious way he welcomed people into his thinking engaged people. He had a passion for sustainability in mining and could always see the big picture, going beyond current constraints, beliefs and perceived limits.

At work and away, Dan was associated with laughter, friendly banter and willingness to help others. He was known for his love of most sport and was particularly passionate about cricket. He also followed tennis and rugby, being a lifelong supporter of the Canterbury Bulldogs. He would always be ready to share his opinions on the Australian cricket team and, in the UK, discuss AFC Wimbledon’s progress through the leagues. Dan was a great storyteller, history buff, music fan, avid traveller and a wonderful family man.

With Dan, anything was possible. Your donation to the Dan Alexander Memorial Fund will help to support the next generation of visionaries and up and coming leaders.