Dr Pia Lois Morales worked as a Geomet consultant in Chile before joining the Sustainable Minerals Institute's Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre (JKMRC) as a PhD student.

She holds both a BSc (Hons), an MSc degree, where she studied the physicochemical impacts of gangue minerals in comminution chemical environment, and was awarded her PhD in July 2020. During her PhD’s project Pia investigated the influence of different textural arrangements over the minimum breakage energy of altered granite rocks.

Pia has experience in data processing, image analysis, geometallurgical modelling, geochemical modelling and samples-test selection for circuit optimisation.

Scholarships and Awards:

  • 2018 -  Ian Morley Prize, recognising the all-round performance in both academic terms and the life of the JKMRC.
  • 2015 - Recipient of the Gender Equity program from University of Chile. The program helps women to undertake PhD studies, in critical areas for the country. Pia held the position of “Instructor Lecturer” at the Mining department of University of Chile.
  • 2015 - Awarded the Becas Chile Scholarship for PhD program.
  • 2013 - Awarded of Natural Resource Research for the findings of her Master’s thesis.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pia-lois-morales/

Other: https://www.stemwomen.org.au/profile/pia-lois-morales