Elin Jennings

Dr. Elin Jennings is an environmental geochemist specialising in mine waste transformation, metal(loid) contaminants, and sustainable mining practices. She is currently a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Sustainable Minerals Institute (SMI), University of Queensland, working within the Mine Waste Transformation Through Characterisation group and affiliated with the Centre for Environmental Responsibility in Mining. Currently, she is working on projects investigating the fate of indium in chalcopyrite (with successful Synchrotron Beamtime at ANSTO) and creating Metal-Organic Frameworks from Acid Mine Drainage (AMD). She also serves as project coordinator for the OreSand Knowledge Hub under the Global Centre for Mineral Security, where she leads communications, stakeholder engagement, and international collaboration.

Elin earned her PhD in Mining and Mineral Engineering from the University of Exeter’s Camborne School of Mines (2020–2025). Her doctoral research investigated the spatial and temporal fluxes of contaminants in acid mine drainage-impacted rivers, employing advanced analytical techniques including synchrotron-based XAS, SEM-EDX, ICP-OES, and GIS modelling. She has conducted beamline experiments at Diamond Light Source and ANSTO, receiving multiple competitive grants to explore critical mineral incorporation in chalcopyrite and arsenic transformations in sediments.

Following her PhD, Elin worked as a Graduate Research Assistant on the PAMANA project at the University of Exeter. This initiative examined the environmental and ecological impacts of mining on Philippine River systems. Her role focused on creating geochemical profiles of soils in the Agno Catchment, analysing how land use and geology influence contaminant distribution, and contributing to international collaborations on mining’s environmental footprint.

Her academic journey began with a BSc (First Class Honours) in Environmental Earth Science at Aberystwyth University, where she received the Rudler Exhibition Prize and the Mineralogical Society Student Award for outstanding achievement. She also secured the Walter Idris Bursary to conduct independent research on adsorption properties of coal and ochre.

Beyond research, Elin is passionate about teaching and outreach. She has taught hydrogeology and mine waste geochemistry at undergraduate and master’s levels, supervised student projects, and contributed to public engagement initiatives such as Engaging the Public with Environmental Science and Spark in STEM. She has presented at international conferences including Goldschmidt and MINEWA, and co-organised the Next Generation Resources conference, fostering collaboration among early-career researchers worldwide. She is also a collection editor for the special issue ES3 Geoscience and Circular Economy. In addition, she also works on the ECA committee at SMI.