Mining and Geology

Technical expertise and academic rigour will be key to developing sustainable solutions to the minerals industry’s challenges and at the Sustainable Minerals Institute (SMI) we have found both those things in PhD Student Rocío Vargas Soto.

In 2017 Dr Kate Tungpalan was selected as the Minerals Engineering Journal Editor’s “Rising Star” and it isn’t difficult to understand why. We sat down with Kate, who is now a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the BRC, to talk through the details of her dynamic career.

Mining industry professionals from around the world will now have access to a range of online professional development courses developed and delivered by subject matter experts at The University of Queensland’s Sustainable Minerals Institute (SMI).

Earlier this year, Jennifer Gunter joined the Sustainable Minerals Institute’s (SMI) WH Bryan Mining and Geology Research Centre (BRC) as a Senior Research Fellow, the latest position in a mining-heavy career which has taken her around the world. With a Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Geology from UQ, a Masters in Environmental Engineering Management (University of Technology, Sydney) and hands-on experience from grassroots bush camps to large complex mining operations, Jennifer’s career certainly reflects SMI’s commitment to applied, multidisciplinary research.

A rare element discovered in Great Barrier Reef coral skeletons will help scientists understand the environmental history of nearby regions.  

University of Queensland researchers have highlighted the effects environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks will have on the global supply of metals without major innovations in the mining industry.

Geoscientist Dr Anita Parbhakar-Fox joined the team at SMI’s W.H Bryan Mining and Geology Research Centre (BRC) in February 2019. We asked Anita what she thought were some of the key issues for the mining industry in dealing with mine waste and how the work of SMI could help find solutions.

The University of Queensland’s Sustainable Minerals Institute (SMI) and Mining3 have joined forces with Newcrest Mining, Vale, OZ Minerals, BHP Billiton and PT Merdeka Copper Gold to develop Cave Mining 2040.
The international consortium will collaborate on projects aimed at developing new and improved cave mining methods that could help meet future demand for minerals.

Researchers from the Sustainable Minerals Institute have identified a matrix of risks that the mining industry must overcome to unlock vitally important copper reserves.