News and Events

An agreement between UQ’s Sustainable Minerals Institute Centre of Excellence in Chile (SMI-ICE-Chile) and TRENDS Industrial paves the way for collaboration on an integrated multi-user desalination supply system in Chile’s Atacama region.
Chile and the Atacama Region in particular, is in a severe drought and continued industrial development, especially by the mining industry, will depend on a sustainable water supply.

After two years at the Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining, Marie Sklodowska Curie Actions (MSCA) Global Fellow Dr Emilka Skrzypek is returning to St Andrews to complete the third year of her Fellowship.
MSCA Fellowships are among Europe’s most competitive and prestigious awards, aimed at supporting the best and most promising researchers.
Funded by the European Commission under the Horizon 2020 framework, they provide research mobility and career development grants, with particular emphasis on promoting interdisciplinary research and international collaborations.

Researchers from around the world met in Brisbane to discuss sustainable solutions for the mining industry’s biggest challenges as part of UQ Minerals Week.
Academic leaders from The University of Capetown (UCT), The University of British Columbia (UBC) and The University of Exeter’s Camborne School of Mines joined colleagues from the Sustainable Minerals Institute at UQ’s St Lucia campus.

The Minerals Industry Safety and Health Centre’s (MISHC) investment in talent, courses and international delivery has it at the forefront of industry efforts to re-examine health and safety.

The collapse of the tailings dam at the Corrego de Feijão iron ore mine near Brumadinho in Brazil in January 2019 highlighted again the very serious risks associated with managing mining waste.
Over 270 people lost their lives in the disaster and there was widespread damage to mine facilities and downstream ecosystems.
As a result, University of Queensland researchers Professor Daniel Franks and Professor Anna Littleboy from the Sustainable Minerals Institute developed a concept note proposing a Global Research Consortium on Tailings.

University of Queensland researchers have published the first ever global dataset of mining induced displacement and resettlement, giving mining companies an evidence base to develop best practice.
It has been four years in development and contains 270 resettlement events.

With a bustling UQ Minerals Week behind us, it’s the perfect time to take stock of the week’s events and reflect on some of the outcomes SMI achieved through them. The first thing that needs to be said is 'thank you' to the SMI professionals, academics and HDR students who organised or took part in the week - it wouldn't have been possible without you

UQ Researcher Dr Sarah Holcombe recently addressed international stakeholders at the UN to share findings from her pioneering project to translate the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) into an indigenous Australian language.

Professor Neville Plint joined a delegation led by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (External Engagement), Mr Rongyu Li, on a brief visit to Chile organised by SMI-ICE-Chile on 17 and 18 June.

The University of Queensland has partnered with Papua New Guinea's largest technological institution to support sustainable development outcomes across the country’s resources sector.