Summer and Winter Research Programs for Undergraduates

Mining operations in Australia generate large volumes of waste, which increases the risk of acid and metalliferous drainage (AMD), contributing to environmental pollution and high carbon emissions. The challenge lies in managing this waste sustainably while reducing the carbon footprint. This study proposes utilizing brine solutions to convert reactive waste minerals into inert carbonates, enabling efficient CO₂ storage while reducing pollution. Utilizing laboratory experiments, this study will investigate the kinetics of mineral carbonation in Australian copper and gold mine waste samples. This work paves the way for greener mining practices, turning waste into a resource for carbon-neutral closure.

Project Duration and delivery: 6 weeks duration, 36 hours per week. Attendance at the Indooroopilly Mine Site is required. Hybrid work or attendance at the UQ St Lucia Campus may also be required, depending on project development.

Expected outcomes and deliverables:  At the end of the project, the successful candidate can expect to learn the fundamentals of mineral cabonation for AMD mitigation of mine waste. 

At the end of the project, the applicant will be expected to set-up and monitor carbonation experiments as well as collect and analyse data from these experiments.

The applicant may also be asked to produce a report or oral presentation at the end of this project.

Suitable for: Suitable for an enthusiastic UQ enrolled 3rd-4th year student with a background in chemisty or chemical; civil or environmental engineering.

Primary Supervisor: Dr Eric O Ansah

Further information: Interested applicants are encouraged to contact Dr Eric O Ansah to discuss this project in more detail.

The development of soft sensors requires pulling specific data from different sources and formats that require accurate file management skills and expert knowledge to build the required datasets. Such tasks take a significant load on the researcher’s time and are prone to mistakes and faulty manipulation of the data. One alternative arises from using an AI agentic approach to automate the data checking, information merging, and presentation to the user.

Currently, we have a Python workflow that extracts information from PDF files specific to the development of our soft sensors. The student will build up the data manipulation capabilities to include a wider range of data source file types and develop a prototype agentic AI workflow to support the data extraction.

Project Duration and delivery: 6 weeks duration, 36 hours per week. Attendance at the Indooroopilly Mine Site is required.

Expected outcomes and deliverables:  At the end of the project, the successful candidate will be equipped with the following skills:

• Exposure to mineral processing research
• Further programming experience in Python
• Basic understanding of cutting-edge AI tools that are applicable to any other domain: e.g., software development, finance, robotics
• Data analytics skills
• GitHub/GitLab project exposure
• Working experience with multidisciplinary teams

The applicant is expected to be motivated and able to learn new concepts about agentic AI and have excellent programming skills (Python). Good communication skills are crucial as the project will involve discussions with a multi-disciplinary research team and presenting your research to a diverse audience, including industry site engineers and technicians.

The applicant is also expected to give a project brief presentation to the APPCo team at the end of this program. A final source code (plus a brief documentation file) is expected as the main deliverable. The successful applicant is encouraged to write a paper-type manuscript for a conference/journal publication relevant to the mineral processing and AI communities.

Suitable for: Suitable for an enthusiastic UQ enrolled 3rd-4th year student who should be self-motivated by the new trends in AI development and enthusiastic to learn about mineral processing and soft sensors. Time management and communication are essential. 

A background in Python programming, data manipulation and basic statistical analysis, generative or agentic AI (desirable) or mineral processing interest (desirable) are encouraged to apply.

Primary Supervisor: Dr Christian Zuluaga Bedoya

Further information: Interested applicants are encouraged to contact Dr Christian Zuluaga Bedoya or Dr Gordon Forbes to discuss this project in more detail, prior to submission of their online application.

Peptides are known for their target specificity and can provide a ‘green’ alternative to the traditional xanthate collectors used in mineral processing to recover minerals. This makes them viable solutions to enhance mineral selectivity and separation efficiency in the flotation of base metal sulphides. Moreover, due to their electrochemically active functional groups, it is possible to study peptides using electrochemical techniques.

Therefore, this work seeks to investigate the electrochemical kinetics and interactions between selected peptide molecules with sulphide minerals. 

The project with involve laboratory work using electrochemistry measurements. 

Project Duration and delivery: 6 weeks duration, 36 hours per week. Attendance at the Indooroopilly Mine Site is required.

Expected outcomes and deliverables:  At the end of the project, the successful candidate will gain:

• an understanding of the importance of the interactions of flotation reagents with mineral surfaces from an electrochemistry perspective
• an understanding of the importance of the flotation process in the mining sector
• Basic understanding of cutting-edge AI tools that are applicable to any other domain: e.g., software development, finance, robotics
• experience in data collection and data analysis

The applicant is expected to be motivated and able to learn new concepts about agentic AI and have excellent programming skills (Python). Good communication skills are crucial as the project will involve discussions with a multi-disciplinary research team and presenting your research to a diverse audience, including industry site engineers and technicians.

The applicant may have an opportunity to generate publications from their research work and may also be asked to produce a report or oral presentation at the end of their project.

Suitable for: Suitable for an enthusiastic UQ enrolled student with a background in chemistry or chemical engineering or mining engineering.

Primary Supervisor: Dr Susana Brito e Abreu supported by Dr Lucia Dzinza.

Further information: Interested applicants are encouraged to contact Dr Lucia Dzinza to discuss this project in more detail.

The Jameson Cell flotation technology was developed at Mount Isa Mines in the late 1980s. Early base metal installations had mixed success, with test work showing improved metallurgical performance when operated efficiently. During the 1990s, the Jameson Cell had great success in coal fines flotation and became the state-of-the-art in these applications in Australia. 

Today, the Jameson cell has over 500 installations worldwide and is extensively used in many commodities, such as lead, zinc, copper, coal, and industrial minerals. Typical duties where Jameson cells are employed in base metal applications include cleaning, roughing and scalping due to their ability to rapidly recover fast-floating material present in the feed. 

In scavenging, the aim is to recover any valuable particles not recovered during the initial roughing stages. The adoption of Jameson cells in base metal scavenging has been limited. It is, however, likely that Jameson cell operation needs to be adjusted to meet the requirements of scavenging. 

This work aims to verify the ability of the Jameson cell to operate in a vastly different regime to that traditionally accepted by demonstrating and optimising its performance in a base metal scavenging duty through:

• Determining the operating regime that optimises the metallurgical performance of the Jameson cell in a scavenging duty and
• Suggesting the mechanisms by which key operating variables affect the different zones of the Jameson cell, with a view to understand the mechanisms by which they impact metallurgical performance.

This work is expected to answer the research question: How should we operate the Jameson cell to maximise overall flotation performance in a base metal scavenging duty? 

Project Duration and delivery: 6 weeks duration, 36 hours per week. Attendance at the Indooroopilly Mine Site is required. A hybrid arrangement is possible for several day over the duration of the placement to perform data analysis, if required.

Expected outcomes and deliverables:  

Performing sized analysis of samples taken during a campaign varying operation of a pilot-scale Jameson cell operating in a base metal scavenging duty to determine the flotation performance, i.e. recovery, product grade and selectivity.

Collecting this data will aid in understanding the impact of operating variables on Jameson cell performance in this duty and aid in identifying the mechanisms by which key operating variables affect the metallurgical performance of the Jameson cell.

At the end of the project, the successful candidate will:

• Gain knowledge of the fundamental principles of the flotation process
• Participate in a laboratory visit and receive hands-on training in using a range of laboratory equipment
• Recognize the broader significance of high-intensity flotation technology in promoting sustainable mineral resource management and improving mining industry practices
• Collaborate with professionals from diverse fields to tackle complex challenges in mineral processing, fostering interdisciplinary approaches
• Learn about the best practices of sample preparation and data analysis while developing presentation skills

The project will yield high-quality assay-by-size data from samples taken during a pilot-scale Jameson cell campaign, used to perform mass balancing to determine Jameson cell performance at varying operating conditions.

The applicant will be asked to prepare a presentation on the work performed for the project at the end of the term.

Suitable for: Suitable for an enthusiastic UQ enrolled 3rd-4th year student from the Chemical Engineering School.  Students from other engineering schools may also be considered.

Primary Supervisor: Lizette Verster

Further information: Interested applicants are encouraged to contact Lizette Verster (l.verster@uq.edu.au) to discuss this project in more detail.

An industry-sponsored project investigating novel approaches to enhance base metal sulphide mineral separation is scheduled for early 2026. To support this study, background information on the characteristics of the ore—particularly its magnetic properties and liberation behaviour—will be required.

Project Duration and delivery: 6 weeks duration, 35 hours per week. Attendance at the Indooroopilly Mine Site is required.

Expected outcomes and deliverables:  At the end of the project, the successful candidate can expect to gain the following skills and knowledge:

• Proficiency in structured research, including conducting literature surveys, acquiring and analysing data, and performing data verification and validation
• Basic knowledge about mineralogy, particularly of those minerals occurring in the supplied sample
• Knowledge of mineral liberation, and how it affects recovery
• A sound understanding magnetic separation and the associated laboratory equipment and techniques used
• The ability to write clear, concise, and technically robust reports for a professional audience
• The capability to work effectively within a multidisciplinary team

The applicant will be responsible for determining the mineralogical characteristics and liberation state of the supplied ore. Research will include assessing the natural magnetic properties of the minerals, specifically their amenability to magnetic separation and the magnetic field strengths required. Following this, supplied ore samples will be characterised through high-intensity magnetic separation at various levels. The procedure will be repeated at progressively finer grind sizes to achieve increased liberation.

The work will primarily involve laboratory-based investigations.

Suitable for: Suitable for an enthusiastic UQ enrolled 3rd-4th year student with a background in physics, mineral processing, or extractive metallurgy  

Primary Supervisor: Professor Quentin Campbell

Further information: Interested applicants are encouraged to contact Professor Quentin Campbell to discuss this project in more detail.

The induced polarisation (IP) technique is commonly used to visualize the physical properties such as chargeability and resistivity and is widely applied to understand the subsurface geological structure. The IP measurements have traditionally been used for geophysical exploration of disseminated sulphide deposits due to the strong polarization response observed with metallic particles. The electrical parameters of the rocks give information about the mineralisation of the rock, the matrix composition, and the polarizability of the formations. Induced polarisation (IP) is a trusted geophysical method in mineral exploration. Two electrical characteristics of the rocks are determined – the first is “chargeability” also known as the “IP effect”. The second parameter measured is resistivity (essentially the inverse of conductivity).  It can be measured at the surface, downhole and on individual rock samples.

The IP effect signal is derived from the amount and size of the sulphidic or metallic particles in the rock, and the conductivity is a function of touching conductive particles. Determining of the relationship between broken materials, whole drill core samples and downhole measurements could be a predictive tool for flotation success (or otherwise).
IP measurement of crushed particles is a new concept, that has not been explored at microscale. Therefore, this project will focus on developing a methodology to measure the irregular crushed particles and ground material.

Project Duration and delivery: 6 weeks duration, 36 hours per week. Attendance at the Indooroopilly Mine Site is required.

Expected outcomes and deliverables:  At the end of the project, the successful applicant will develop a range of skills in conducting experiments, the experimental method, and data analysis.

Specifically, they will gain skills in induced polarisation measurement and sample preparation including crushing, grinding, sampling and classification.

At the completion of the project, the successful applicant will be asked to produce a report and/or an oral presentation of their project.

Suitable for: Suitable for an enthusiastic UQ enrolled 3rd-4th year student with a background in mining, minerals processing, or chemical engineering.

Primary Supervisor: Dr Unzile Yenial Arslan supported by Associate Professor Liza Forbes

Further information: Interested applicants are encouraged to contact Dr Unzile Yenial Arslan to discuss this project in more detail. For more information, see our Flotation Chemistry Group page.

An industry-sponsored project, “DMC Efficiency Improvement Using an Applied Magnetic Field,” is currently underway to investigate how an electromagnetically induced field around a dense medium cyclone (DMC) can influence its density response characteristics. The concept has already been demonstrated in industry (e.g., the diamond sector), but the technology is now being extended to other commodities. Initial findings suggest that applying a magnetic field can improve cyclone performance, both in terms of the sharpness of separation and the ability to control the required density cut point, thereby enhancing product quality. 

Project Duration and delivery: 6 weeks duration, 35 hours per week. Attendance at the Indooroopilly Mine Site is required.

Expected outcomes and deliverables:  At the end of the project, the successful candidate can expect to gain the following skills and knowledge:

• Proficiency in structured research, including conducting literature surveys, acquiring and analysing data, and performing data verification and validation
• A sound understanding of dense medium separation processes and the associated equipment used in mineral processing
• Knowledge of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) techniques for describing real-world phenomena, together with an appreciation of their strengths and limitations
• The ability to write clear, concise, and technically robust reports for a professional audience
• The capability to work effectively within a multidisciplinary team

In addition to the empirical test work being undertaken to generate data, there is also a need to develop a fundamental understanding of the physical forces within the cyclone, and how the externally applied magnetic field interacts with these forces. Specifically, it is necessary to determine how the magnetic field contributes to the overall force balance acting on a particle—beyond centrifugal and drag forces—and how this affects particle motion. To this end, a two-dimensional CFD model of cyclone flow, using software capable of incorporating electromagnetic functionality, will be developed to simulate and interrogate the interaction between flow dynamics and magnetic fields.

Suitable for: Suitable for an enthusiastic UQ enrolled 3rd-4th year student with a background in physics, mineral processing, or extractive metallurgy.  Prior experience in computer simulation, particularly CFD will be advantageous, though not essential.

Primary Supervisor: Professor Quentin Campbell

Further information: Interested applicants are encouraged to contact Professor Quentin Campbell to discuss this project in more detail.