Professor Daniel Franks
Professor

Daniel Franks

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Background

Professor Daniel Franks is Director of the Global Centre for Mineral Security at the University of Queensland’s Sustainable Minerals Institute and is an Australian Research Council Future Fellow. Professor Franks is known internationally for his work on the interconnections between minerals, materials and sustainable development, with a particular focus on the role of minerals in poverty reduction. He has introduced a number of key concepts in development studies including ‘mineral poverty’, ‘mineral security,’ and ‘development minerals;’ and has worked with a wide range of public and private sector partners to implement breakthrough sustainability innovations, such as OreSand to drastically reduce mine waste, and ‘social impact management plans,’ a regulatory tool now adopted throughout the world.

He is the author of more than 160 publications, including 37 publications for the United Nations. His research has appeared in journals such as Nature Sustainability and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and is available in 11 languages. He is an Editorial Board Member of the International Journal of Minerals Policy & Economics, as well as Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal and has field experience at more than 100 mining and energy sites and 40 countries.

Availability

Professor Daniel Franks is:
Available for supervision
Media expert

Fields of research

Development studies Earth Sciences Geology Human Society Poverty, inclusivity and wellbeing Resource geoscience

Qualifications

  • Bachelor of Science, The University of Queensland
  • Bachelor (Honours) of Science (Advanced), The University of Queensland
  • Doctor of Philosophy, Griffith University

Research impacts

Professor Franks was Chief Technical Advisor at the United Nations Development Programme; is a member of the scientific board of UNESCO’s International Geosciences Programme; is an advisor to UN Secretary General’s Working Group on Transforming the Extractive Industries for Sustainable Development; supported the United Nations Environment Programme to implement the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-4) Resolution on Mineral Resource Governance; and was a working group member of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network that provided technical advice on the formulation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. He was the reciepient of The University of Queensland's Research Impact Award in 2022 with Julia Keenan.

The grandson of an artisanal miner, in 2018 he Chaired the First International Conference on Artisanal and Small-scale Mining and Quarrying, which was opened by the President of Zambia, and he spearheaded the ‘Mosi-oa-Tunya Declaration on Artisanal and Small-scale Mining, Quarrying and Development,’ ensuring it reflected the voices of informal miners. He subsequently supported the establishment of the Delve Exchange knowledge network of artisanal and small-scale miners with the World Bank, which was awarded a Global Good Award for Educational Excellence in 2023. His research was publicly cited by the Chief Operating Officer of the International Council on Mining and Metals as “academic research that has changed the mineral industry.”

Search Professor Daniel Franks’s works on UQ eSpace

143 works between 2000 and 2025
All (143) Journal Article (49) Book Chapter (15) Conference Publication (16) Book (10) Other Outputs (53)

141 - 143 of 143 works

2004

Conference Publication

Landscape Transformation for Resource Appropriation in the Third and Fourth World

Franks, Daniel Marc (2004). Landscape Transformation for Resource Appropriation in the Third and Fourth World. Ecopolitics XV Conference, Environmental Governance: Transforming Regions and Localities, Macquarie University Sydney, November 13 -14, 2004.

Landscape Transformation for Resource Appropriation in the Third and Fourth World

2000

Conference Publication

Weathering and landscape evolution of the greater Brisbane area, SE Queensland

Franks, D. (2000). Weathering and landscape evolution of the greater Brisbane area, SE Queensland. 9th International Conference on Fission Track Dating and Thermochronology, Lorne, Victoria, 6-11 February 2000. Sydney: Geological Society of Australia.

Weathering and landscape evolution of the greater Brisbane area, SE Queensland

2000

Other Outputs

Weathering and landscape evolution, Southeast Queensland

Franks, Daniel Marc (2000). Weathering and landscape evolution, Southeast Queensland. Honours Thesis, School of Physical Sciences, The University of Queensland. doi: 10.14264/176825

Weathering and landscape evolution, Southeast Queensland

Current funding

  • 2025 - 2028
    Assessing the mineral security dimensions of multi-dimensional poverty
    ARC Future Fellowships
    Open grant
  • 2024 - 2027
    Towards Zero Waste Mining: The OreSand Knowledge Hub
    Queensland Department of Resources
    Open grant

Past funding

  • 2024 - 2025
    Ore-sand: a circular economy solution to reduce mineral wastes and produce alternative construction materials
    Australia's Economic Accelerator Seed Grants
    Open grant
  • 2023 - 2024
    The Potential Use of Ore-sand from Porphyry Cu-Au Deposits as Fine Aggregates in Concrete Applications
    NewCrest Mining Limited
    Open grant
  • 2023 - 2024
    Improving circularity in Queensland's new economy minerals
    Queensland Department of Resources
    Open grant
  • 2022
    Finding Alternative Sources of Sand: Cadia East HydroFloat Coarse Tailings - Phase 1
    NewCrest Mining Limited
    Open grant
  • 2020 - 2021
    Finding alternative sources of sand: mine tailings
    Vale International SA
    Open grant
  • 2019 - 2024
    Embedded Program Evaluation: Natural Resource Governance Global Signature Program
    BHP Foundation
    Open grant
  • 2014 - 2015
    Does Mining Measure-Up? The role and effectiveness of certification schemes in the promotion of responsible mineral development
    The University of Queensland in America, Inc
    Open grant
  • 2013 - 2015
    Promoting social inclusion in mining policy-making: community engagement to inform Colombia's Mining Organisation Plan
    Ford Foundation
    Open grant
  • 2013 - 2016
    CSIWAS - CSIRO 'Wealth From Waste' Flagship Cluster
    University of Technology Sydney
    Open grant
  • 2013 - 2015
    Action Research on Dialogue Groups on Mining and Sustainable Development in Latin America
    University of Western Australia
    Open grant
  • 2013 - 2015
    Improving the Understanding and Management of the Cumulative Impacts of Coal Mining and Other Land Uses in Regions with Diversified Economies (ACACI4)
    Australian Coal Association Research Program
    Open grant
  • 2013 - 2015
    Fiscal and Non-fiscal Contribution of Mining to Madagascar Economy (WDBMAD)
    World Bank Group
    Open grant
  • 2012 - 2013
    Shift: The dynamics of change-making for sustainable development in the global resources sector
    UQ Foundation Research Excellence Awards - DVC(R) Funding
    Open grant
  • 2012
    Review of social investment indicators for potential application in the mining industry
    International Council on Mining and Metals
    Open grant
  • 2011 - 2012
    Extractive resource development in a changing climate: learning the lessons from recent weather events in Queensland, Australia
    Climate Change Adaptation Research Grants Program
    Open grant
  • 2010 - 2012
    Governance strategies to manage and monitor cumulative impacts at the regional scale
    Australian Coal Association Research Program
    Open grant
  • 2010 - 2011
    Extractive resources, conflict and governance: the implications for advancing the responsibility to protect in the Asia-Pacific (Australian R2P Fund)
    AusAID-Australian Agency for International Development
    Open grant
  • 2009 - 2012
    Future Sustainability of Australia's Mineral Industry (CSIRO Flagship Collaboration Research Fund)
    CSIRO Flagships Collaboration Fund
    Open grant
  • 2009
    Protecting sovereign peoples from natural resource appropriation: a review of international policy approaches
    UQ New Staff Research Start-Up Fund
    Open grant
  • 2008 - 2009
    Developing good practice in managing the cumulative impacts of coal mining
    Australian Coal Association Research Program
    Open grant

Availability

Professor Daniel Franks is:
Available for supervision

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Supervision history

Current supervision

Completed supervision

Enquiries

Contact Professor Daniel Franks directly for media enquiries about:

  • Community engagement - mining
  • Community relations - mining
  • Mine waste policy
  • Mine-community conflict
  • Mines and tailings
  • Mining
  • Mining policy
  • Resource conflict - mining
  • Resource governance - mining
  • Social impact assessment - mining
  • Sovereignty and consent - mine resources
  • Sustainable development
  • Tailings - mines

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