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Dr Evgueni Jak is Professor in Pyrometallurgy (see UQ U/G Metallurgy program https://my.uq.edu.au/programs-courses/requirements/plan/METAEC2455/2021) at the School of Chemical Engineering. He is co-founder and currently Leader of the Pyrometallurgy Innovation Laboratory (PYROSEARCH-see link https://pyrosearch.chemeng.uq.edu.au/). Pyrosearch currently has major research programs on copper, lead, metal recycling and iron-making thermochemistry supported by major metallurgical companies including Aurubis, Atlantic Copper, Anglo-Americal Pt, BHP (Olympic Dam, Fe ore), Boliden, Codelco, Gohper, Glencore (Kazzinc, GT), Metso, Nyrstar, Penoles, RHI-Magnesita, Rio Tinto (Kennecott Smelter, Fe Ore), SMS, SWERIM, Umicore as well as a number of other direct R&D support projects.

He graduated with Master of Engineering (metallurgy) from St Petersburg Polytechnique University, Russia in 1984, then worked in industry for a large-scale steel casting company progressing from shift engineer to an executive management position. In 1995 he completed a PhD in Pyrometallurgy at The University of Queensland, then worked at the Centre for Research in Computational Thermodynamics (CRCT), Ecole Polytechnic de Montreal, Canada – developers of the computer thermodynamic package FactSage. Dr Jak returned in 1996 to take up research and subsequently academic positions at The University of Queensland.

He is an author of over 450 scientific papers.

He is recipient of

• Prestigious 2002 UQ Foundation Excellence Award,
• Best paper award from Metallurgical Transactions (2004),
• Gold Billiton best paper award from Transactions of IMM C, UK (2008),
• Best paper award from Canadian Metallurgical Quarterly (2009),
• Best paper award from Metallurgical Transactions (2010)
• Editor’s choice award from Journal of Phase Equilibria and Diffusion (2017)
• Best paper award from Metallurgical Transactions (2018)
• TMS Extraction and Processing Science Award (2018)
• Gold Billiton best paper award from Transactions of IMM C, UK (2019).
• Editor’s choice award from Journal of Phase Equilibria and Diffusion for 2019
• TMS Extraction and Processing Science Award (2020)
• Editor’s choice award from Journal of Phase Equilibria and Diffusion for 2020
• Spriggs Phase Equilibria Award from The American Ceramic Society 2025

He has a number of invited, key-note and plenary lectures at leading international conferences. Organiser of major international conferences.

Research interests include

• Pyrometallurgy and high temperature processing,
• Experimental phase equilibria (including development of an original method to measure high-temperature phase equilibria),
• Thermodynamic modelling of slag and other high temperature systems (including co-development of the current key FactSage public oxide thermodynamic database for the Al2O3-CaO-FeO-Fe2O3-SiO2-PbO-ZnO) system,
• Experimental and modelling of viscosities of slags (including development of the original experimental methodology and development of multicomponent slag viscosity models),
• Freeze linings and slag-refractory interactions,
• Modelling of industrial pyrometallurgical processes.

He has been Chief Investigator in a number of successful ARC grants including ARC SPIRT (1998-2000), ARC Large (1999-2001), ARC Large (2000-02), ARC Small (2000), ARC Linkage (2002-06)-the largest in this category in 2002 and the 1st 5-year ARC Linkage ever awarded, ARC Linkage (2005-07), ARC Discovery (2004-06), ARC Linkage (2007-11), ARC Discovery (2008-2010), 2 x ARC Discovery grants (2011-2013), ARC Linkage (2014-2016), ARC Linkage (2015-2018), ARC Linkage (2016-2019), ARC Linkage (2017-2020), ARC Linkage (2018-2023), ARC Linkage (2020-25), ARC LIEF 2022, Trailblazer 2023-2026

In addition to fundamental research Dr Jak has received, and continues to receive, research funding from a wide range of major Australian and international industrial companies including, Anglo American Pt (South Africa); Altonorte, Glencore (Chile); Atlantic Copper, Freeport (Spain); Aurubis (Germany, Bulgaria); Australian Coal Association Research Program (Australia); Baosteel (China); BHP Billiton Fe Ore (Australia); Boliden (Sweden); Britannia Zinc (UK); Coal in Sustainable Development (CCSD-CRC) (Australia); Codelco (Chile); CMSA (Colombia); CYMG (China); Glencore (New Caledonia); Glencore (Switzerland); Glencore Technology (Australia); Glencore Mt Isa Mines (Australia); Glencore Nordenham (Germany); Gohper (USA) Hachinohe (Japan); Kansanshi First Quantum (Zambia); Kazzinc Gelncore (Kazakhstan); Koniambo Nickel, Metaleurop Noyelles Godault (France); Metallo (Belgium); Metso (Finland and Australia); MHD (Germany); MRI (Malaysia); Nippon JLX (Saganoseki, Japan); Ni-West, BHP Billiton (Australia); Nyrstar (Australia, Belgium); Olympic Dam, BHP Billiton (Australia); Pan Pacific (Tamano, Japan); PASAR Glencore (Philippines); Penoles (Mexica); Portovesme (Italy); Queensland Nickel (Australia); RHI-Magnesita, (Austria); Sadbury Ni smelter, Glencore (Canada); SWERIM-LKAB-SSB (Sweden) Samancor Manganese (South Africa); Samancor Chromium (South Africa); Sumitomo (Japan); RioTinto Fe Ore (Australia); RioTinto (Kennecott, USA); Teck Cominco (Canada); TEMCO BHP Billiton (Australia); Umicore (Belgium).

Michael (Mike) Roberts is a NHMRC Senior Principal Research Fellow and Emeritus Professor of Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics and Director of the Therapeutics Research Centre in the Diamantina Institute at The University of Queensland, which is based in the Translational Research Institute adjacent to the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane, Qld, Australia. He is also Professor of Therapeutics & Pharmaceutical Science at the University of South Australia with laboratories in the Basil Hetzel Institute at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Adelaide, South Australia.